


KuzuPeko Prompts

by Kuzuriolu



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Angst, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED IT, F/M, Fluff, Major SDR2 Spoilers, One Shot Collection, Prompt Fill, a whole bunch of stuff of all sorts!, feel free to request!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2017-12-30 07:59:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 51,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1016097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuzuriolu/pseuds/Kuzuriolu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short(ish) KuzuPeko fics I've written from prompts requests on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prompt: Post Despair First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> I've written these from requests on tumblr. I don't know how many I will write. They are all unbetaed and most contain MAJOR spoilers for the end of SDR2. Rating and content changes depending on the prompt, of course. I WILL let you know before if any warnings apply to a certain prompt, so you can skip them if you feel uncomfortable or if you are triggered by anything.
> 
> Please feel free to also send in requests!

Kuzuryuu had to take a few steps back when the lid to Peko’s capsule suddenly shot open without warning. It took several seconds for him to even process what was happening, and his heart hammered in his chest like it was trying to rip it open. “H-Huh?” he stuttered, blinking. Just seconds ago, he had been leaning over her comatose body, tears falling onto the lid protecting her like the wildest of hurricanes.

A pale hand gripped the side of the capsule, and then Peko hoisted herself straight up, using whatever strength she had. At first, Kuzuryuu didn’t know what to do. Everything seemed so unreal. The idea of this very moment happening had been occupying his mind every second of every passing day for the last two months now, and now that it was actually happening, he felt as though every scenario he had played out in his head just suddenly vanished. He found himself stunned to the floor, not knowing what to do.

Peko turned her head towards him, her blood red eyes slightly covered by tangled locks of her gray falling over her face. Her hair had grown considerably, and it was a complete mess. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the shape of the boy in front of her. Without her glasses, seeing was a rather difficult task. 

"Y… Young… Master?" she uttered.

Kuzuryuu felt tears welling up as his eyes watched the girl he had been waiting on for months, the girl he had always wanted to have by his side. “Peko…” he whispered back to her. This was really happening. Peko was here, alive. It was if life itself gave them a second chance, something far too kind to happen to someone like Kuzuryuu. As he watched his swordswoman and dearest friend, he couldn’t think of what to do. So he acted on instinct.

"Peko!" he cried out. Kuzuryuu knelt in front of the capsule and grabbed the stunned girl by her shoulders, pressing his lips against hers. His mind didn’t even register the boldness of his actions and the fact that he was actually kissing her, until about ten seconds later. His body was about to automatically jerk away from her out of embarrassment and realization, but the feeling of Peko’s hands winding their way around his back caused him to freeze. She returned the kiss with full force, pressing herself against her one and only Young Master, the boy who was the most precious person to her in the whole world.

It felt like an eternity before they pulled away from each other. When they did, they just gazed into each other’s eyes, searching for words.

"Young Master, I…"

"Peko," interrupted Kuzuryuu. "Please. Don’t ever leave me again."

That time, it was Peko who kissed him.


	2. Prompt: Young KuzuPeko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based off of a head canon I wrote once, and of course, a prompt request. This one is mainly just silly childhood fluff.

Seven-year-old Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu liked to spend his free time watching his best friend Peko Pekoyama train in the family’s dojo. Though she was not a part of her family, she lived here just as well, but under very different treatment. Whenever Fuyuhiko would talk about her with his parents or an older member of the Yakuza family he was to inherit, they always felt the need to remind him that “she was his tool,” whatever that meant. Kuzuryuu hated hearing those words, because in his mind, Peko was his dearest friend and he would not put up with people insulting her.

After she had finished her training one day, Kuzuryuu approached her about this. “Peko!” he complained to her as she was putting away the training sword she had been given by the group. “I told my mom about what we did outside yesterday, you know, with the bugs? But she yelled at me about how I shouldn’t be ‘encouraging you to do friendly things with me.’”

Peko blinked at few times. “Of course, Young Master,” Peko addressed him. For whatever reason, they had ordered her to refer to him as her young master instead of just “Fuyuhiko.” Kuzuryuu hated this. It made it seem as though they weren’t friends, like she was his servant or something. “I’m just a tool, after all.”

Peko often repeated those words. That was what she had been told every day of her life, even before she had the ability to understand what they meant. Whenever Kuzuryuu watched her train, her sensei would tell her that constantly. “You are a tool. You mean nothing. Your life is meant to protect the Young Master. You are not allowed to feel anything but that.” Peko just accepted those words. It was all she had ever known, after all. Kuzuryuu, however…

"You aren’t just a tool to me!" shouted Kuzuryuu, loud enough so that his voice echoed throughout the empty dojo. "That’s just what those obnoxious older yakuza guys say. You don’t have to listen to them."

Peko shook her head. “I’m sorry… Young Master, but it’s the truth…” She seemed sad for just a moment, but she quickly dashed it aside and returned to her usual emotionless expression, giving off the vibe that she had never felt anything in her entire life. “I have to do what they tell me. You know that…”

Kuzuryuu was frustrated. He hated his parents for telling Peko she was worthless. He hated the other yakuza for telling her she was just a tool. He hated her sensei for telling her that her life didn’t matter, and that the only purpose she had to serve was to kill for him and die for him. That was all her future was supposed to be. But Kuzuryuu had other plans…

"Well, when I’m older and I own the family, you’re not going to be a tool anymore!” he declared. 

Peko seemed confused by this idea. “Then, what do I do if I’m not supposed to be protecting you?”

"You’re going to marry me, of course!" he blurted out. As a young child, he did not quite understand the implications of marriage. To him, the idea of marrying her was nothing to keep private. Besides, if he had to have a wife, then he would only want it to be her. He couldn’t picture anyone else.

She looked shocked, to say the least. “M-Marry me?” she repeated.

"Yes!" replied Kuzuryuu, the seriousness of his statement undeniable. "You’re going to be my wife, and then no one can tell you you’re just a tool! You’ll be the boss of the family with me, okay?" 

The little girl’s face turned red. She was a little surprised, as no one had ever suggested a future for her like that before. Usually, it involved her forever standing beside him as a tool, and eventually dying for him. “…Okay,” she agreed after a moment’s hesitation.

Kuzuryuu smiled. He liked this future much better than the one his family had envisioned for them. “Pinky promise you’ll marry me when we’re older, Peko?” Kuzuryuu asked, holding up his pinky for the girl.

Peko looked down at Kuzuryuu’s finger, a little confused for a moment on what it meant. She had heard of this gesture from him before, but never had she actually made a pinky promise with someone. “I pinky promise,” she replied, hooking her pinky around his.

When they grew older and began to understand marriage and relationships more, Peko often thought of their promise. Would he still like to marry her, even now that they were older? Sometimes, she would wonder, and silently hope to herself. Now that she had begun to understand just what she felt for him and the complications of their relationship, the idea of marriage was a complete fantasy. It could never happen. But maybe, just maybe…

But then she would put it aside. He probably didn’t even remember.

She didn’t know that he thought about the promise every day as well, wishing to himself that it could still be true despite the circumstances they were in. Every day together, they would unknowingly wish together.


	3. Prompt: Kuzuryuu Dreaming

Even if Peko was really dead, it didn’t mean that Kuzuryuu never saw her again after her execution. In fact, she would come to visit him occasionally when he went to sleep. It was no different tonight, even if he wasn’t in his usual bed in his motel room, but in the strange funhouse room Monokuma had forced them in. With each passing dream, her voice and her figure became clearer, and clearer…

Kuzuryuu found himself on the beach of Jabberwock Island, watching as the blue waves gently lapped at the shore. The sound of the waves crashing had always been clear, even in dreams where he could barely hear her voice. 

"Young Master," a voice came out from behind him.

"You came to see me again, Peko," Kuzuryuu replied, turning to look at her with his one good eye. The second one had been slashed out by Peko herself, but he didn’t blame her for it. In fact, when he thought about his left eye, all he could remember was how her body shielded his as countless samurai stabbed her repeatedly. 

Peko nodded. “Of course, Young Master.”

Kuzuryuu knew this was a dream, because there was no way Peko was still alive. She had died holding him, after all. At the same time, however, he didn’t care about such trivial facts. His dreams were strangely realistic, with Peko acting as she always did, saying what she always would… It made him happy to escape from reality and be with her for just a little bit.

"I’m sorry," whispered Kuzuryuu. "It’s my fault you’re dead."

"You always say that, Young Master. But you know I know already," she said. "You don’t have to apologize."

"But you don’t understand, Peko!" Kuzuryuu lashed out suddenly, startling the swordswoman. "You could still be by my side if it weren’t for me! I made you kill Koizumi for no good reason!"

She shook her head. “That’s wrong, Young Master. Had I not killed her, you would have instead.”

"That’s exactly the point!" he yelled back at her, staring into her deep red eyes, which were only a memory of what they used to be. "Do you know how hard it is for me, Peko? I’m all alone on this island! Every single day, I think about you and how you died for me and I can barely live with that! I just want to be with you, Peko!"

However, Peko did not react as expected to the boy. Instead, she simply shook her head. “That’s not what I want, Young Master. I don’t want to see you in pain at my death anymore. I want to see you move on from me and live to the fullest. Survive. Find out who is behind this, if you want to avenge my death.”

There was truth behind Peko’s words. If he were to die now, then it would mean her sacrifice had been for nothing. If her desire was for him to keep living, then he would do it for her. As soon as he found out who it was behind the face of Monokuma, he would see to it that the person suffered a death far more brutal than Peko’s own. 

"I shouldn’t visit you anymore. The memory of me is holding you back," whispered Peko. "I think this is going to be the last time I ever see you, Young Master."

His heart sank at those words. “I don’t want you to leave me!” he cried out. “Please, you can’t!” he begged.

The swordswoman smiled sorrowfully at her young master, but she did not speak. Instead, she reached out to him and wrapped her arms, pulling him to her tightly. It was odd. Even if this was just a dream, he could still feel the warmth of her body against his, the feeling of her arms around him… 

Just then, Kuzuryuu felt a burst of courage and sorrow within him. He reached out to her, standing as tall as his tiny body would let him, and pushed his lips to hers. It took a few seconds before Peko did anything, but once she processed his actions, she began to kiss him back, letting out all the feelings she had ever had for him that she was forced to hold back since she was a small child. It was almost as if Kuzuryuu could feel how Peko felt for him, and in return, he let out all his feelings for her so that she could understand that her love for him was reciprocated fully.

Kuzuryuu could feel that Peko truly loved him, and that he truly loved her back.

Peko eventually pulled away from the kiss, a smile plastered across her face for the first time in one of his dreams. “I love you, Young Master. Please remember me and find the culprit behind this game. I’ll be waiting for you…”

He didn’t have the chance to ask what those last words meant. As quickly as she appeared, she was gone, now forever just a memory in Kuzuryuu’s mind. This was truly their final goodbye.

When he woke up and realized that he was all alone, he spent the rest of the night crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I like to think that since they are technically still alive, the dead kids had some form of consciousness. Here, it's supposed to be as if Peko is actually talking to him, though unaware that she is ACTUALLY still alive.


	4. Prompt: Build a Bear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested Peko and Kuzuryuu at Build-a-Bear workshop, which was a place I really liked when I was younger. (I secretly wish to go back, ahahaha). I don't know if they're in Japan, but it doesn't matter, really. Just some silly fluff(y fluffy)

The sight of a well-known heir to a notorious criminal organization standing in a place like Build-a-Bear was quite the sight, apparently. Kuzuryuu could feel the stares of parents who had brought their little children piercing right into his back. He fidgeted uncomfortably, doing his best to ignore what the other people thought. He could have them all wiped out if they said something that bothered him, after all.

But this wasn’t for him, he reminded himself. No, it was for Peko. Peko was staring down at the options of stuffed toys, ranging from bears to dogs of all breeds, a thoughtful look on her face. She crossed her arms beneath her chest as she concentrated on the rows of stuffed toys, not noticing the people who were staring at her, wondering what a girl with a sword strapped to her back could possibly want here.

"Peko, they’re…" Kuzuryuu said, eyeing one particular mother who was giving them a horrified look.

But he couldn’t finish his sentence. “Young Master. I have encountered a problem.”

Kuzuryuu blinked. “Huh?” He glanced down at the animals she was looking down at. Realization dawned on him instantly.

"They’re all so fluffy, Young Master." As if in a strange trance, Peko reached out to pet the unstuffed rags of animals, running her fingers through the soft material. "So fluffy…" she whispered to herself again.

Kuzuryuu hesitated. He didn’t know what to tell her. A part of him wanted to tell her she had to hurry up because people were staring and it was making him uncomfortable, but another part of him thought the sight of Peko so entranced by the stuffed animals was absolutely adorable. Besides, he knew what he was getting into when he decided to take her here. This was for her, because as a child, she never once got the opportunity to do something like this, or even own a stuffed animal at all. For comfort as a baby, they gave her a small shinai instead of a typical bunny or bear. She had never known the feeling of hugging a soft, stuffed animal while drifting off into the world of pleasant dreams.

He rubbed the back of his head as he watched Peko. She reached for an unstuffed bear, eyeing it curiously. “Definitely not this one,” she said. It was the rag of a bear that was half white and half black. It adorned features such as an unnerving grin along with a cute smile, and an eye that was nearly as red as Peko’s. How odd.

"I don’t know, Young Master. I’ve always loved kittens." Peko picked up a soft, unstuffed orange kitten. She held it up and scanned it with careful eyes. "It’s so cute…" An incredibly rare grin broke out across her face. He hadn’t seen her smile like this before.

"I think you should go for that one. I think it’s cute, too," Kuzuryuu replied, still eyeing Peko’s smile. It was such an adorable and beautiful sight that he forgot all about the numerous shoppers staring at them with judging eyes.

"Yes." Peko held the orange kitten tightly to her, smiling. "So soft…"

It was ten times more difficult for Peko when she got to the clothing section.


	5. Prompt: FSN AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested a crossover AU with Fate/Stay Night with Kuzuryuu summoning Peko (Saber), so I tried my best. I haven't played FSN in a while, unfortunately, so forgive me if I messed up FSN canon in any way.

Sixteen-Year-Old Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at his summoning circle. He didn’t really want to do this, but as the heir to the great Kuzuryuu family, which was recognized for its line of talented magus in addition to the fact that it was a Yakuza organization, he had to. Everyone in the family was expecting him to do this and come out as victor, no matter what it took. 

They were always talking about how weak he was. _"He can’t even use magic properly!"_ _"He’s too small to fight anyone!"_ _"He’s too weak to lead this family!"_ So he had to prove to them that he wasn’t. He’d show them all…!

He placed the catalyst his family had given him down. It was a silver sword with a blade sharper than any he had ever seen before. He wasn’t sure who the Heroic Spirit they were expecting him to summon was aside from the fact he obviously was a Saber class servant, but whoever he was, he had to be powerful. The Kuzuryuu family wouldn’t have given it to him otherwise.

With those thoughts, he began the summoning ritual. The results were not as he had expected them to be, however.

Kuzuryuu stepped back as the figure of a girl about his age appeared from the summoning circle. She was dressed in traditional samurai armor, her long, gray hair tied back into a braided ponytail. Her eyes were piercing, severe, and blood red, contrasting her unnaturally pale skin. On her back was a green bag painted with a dragon containing what must be a sword, her primary battle weapon. There was no hint of emotion painted anywhere on her face, and she simply stared at the boy.

Kuzuryuu gawked at her. He had expected a middle aged man or something, and this was the complete opposite. He was even blushing a little bit at the sight of her. Something about her fierce demeanor made her very attractive. No, it wasn’t just that. Her personality and the way she held herself aside, she truly was just beautiful.

"Servant Saber," she introduced, her voice just as stern as her body. "Upon your summoning, I have come forth. I ask of you, are you my master?"

"Y-Yes," squeaked Kuzuryuu. "I-I’m Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, heir to the Kuzuryuu group. I…" He couldn’t say anything else. He was still in shock, and nothing would come to mind.

Saber nodded. “Young Master,” she addressed him. “With this, our pact is complete. From now on, I will be your sword and shield in this war, and I will do anything within my power to comply with your orders.” She bowed her head to him respectfully.

Kuzuryuu was overwhelmed, to say the least. First, this noble samurai girl appears instead of some typical heroic man, and now, she was calling him things like “young master” as if he were more powerful than she was. He almost felt bad for her.

"There’s no need… to call me anything like that," Kuzuryuu said, looking away from the samurai. 

Saber blinked. “What do you mean? Young Master, it is only respectful that I refer to you as such. I am your tool, after all.” 

Yet, the yakuza heir still felt uncomfortable. This was a girl his age, except she was some kind of noble samurai from the past, not that he had ever heard of such a character. It just felt wrong to have her call herself his tool.

"Whatever… It doesn’t matter," muttered Kuzuryuu, trying to brush the subject away. "Call me whatever you want. What matters is that we win this thing for the sake of my family…"

"Of course, Young Master," replied Saber. "And for you, I shall do anything in my power to fulfill that purpose…!"

What Kuzuryuu didn’t know was that this servant he had summoned would not turn out to be any ordinary servant to him. And what Saber didn’t know was that this boy wouldn’t just be any master to her. What they were about to experience would be full of emotion, heartbreak, war, love…

It was certainly different from anything anyone ever expected.


	6. Prompt: Vampire AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested a vampire AU, which isn't really my thing, but I tried my best.

Kuzuryuu hadn’t ever found out what kind of family Peko was originally from before she was left out in an alleyway to die, only to be rescued by his family for the sake of being his tool. He had often investigated it, but with no results. 

Now he knew why.

His hand rested on the screen door to her room while he listened to the sounds of Peko’s heavy breathing and cries of pain inside. She was suffering from something he had never expected to come across in real life, something he had been convinced was just a horror tale meant for scaring people. She was suffering from what she had become.

Or rather, what she always had been.

"Peko?" called Kuzuryuu. "I-I’m coming in, all right?"

There was no response other than her grunts, which were surely a result of her trying to hold back cries of pain. She was too hurt to answer right now, and even if she didn’t want him with her, he wanted to help her in any way he could, no matter what it meant for him…

He slid the door open and then closed it behind him, engulfing himself in darkness. The room was almost completely black, except for her glowing, blood red eyes staring straight at him. They widened with horror when she realized that he had entered the room.

"Young Master, please, just go away!" she said, thrashing about against the wall. 

"Peko," whispered Kuzuryuu, his voice barren of fear. "I.."

Whatever words he intended to say were cut off by her shriek. She kept thrashing about violently, and her hands kept clawing desperately at her throat to the point where Kuzuryuu started to see droplets of crimson dripping down onto the floor.

"Please, Young Master!" she cried out, actual tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I don’t want to end up doing something unforgivable…!"

But instead, Kuzuryuu approached her and wrapped his hands tightly around her body, pushing her closely to him. She felt colder than he remembered. Why was this happening now? It couldn’t have been that she was infected, because she had never encountered a creature like this before. It had to be because of who her parents were, or rather, what they were. Perhaps things like her didn’t have instincts until they were teenagers.

"I want to help you," he whispered to her softly. "And I don’t care what I have to sacrifice to make you feel better."

"N-No… Young Master…!" she protested

Kuzuryuu ran his fingers through her silver hair. It was surprisingly soft. “I know what you need, Peko… So please.” With that, the yakuza heir pushed his Swordswoman’s face into his neck, holding it there as tightly as he could. “Please…”

"But if I do, Young Master, then you too will…!" she cried to him desperately. 

"I know that, Peko," he replied gently. "And I don’t care. We’ll be together, at least, right?"

"I…!" Peko’s protests were cut off suddenly, as she suddenly took closer interest in her young master’s neck. She could hear the fresh blood pumping through him, and her throat burned in response. What did he taste like? Surely, the taste of her beloved Kuzuryuu was sweeter than the taste of any other. A burning desire rose up within her as her mouth began to water at the very thought.

Kuzuryuu noticed this. “Peko, please…”

At those words, Peko lost all sense of humanity and logic within her. Her blood red eyes locked onto his neck and without hesitating, she brought her mouth down to where his jugular vain rested. The feeling of her hot breath on his neck made him shudder. 

But it was only momentarily, because with that, Peko’s mouth opened and her new, sharp fangs ripped into Kuzuryuu’s neck. Kuzuryuu gasped, pain flooding through him briefly, before it disappeared all together. All he could feel was her against him as she desperately drank his blood.

His transformation didn’t hurt.


	7. Prompt: Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was no request unlike the others, but I wanted to write Despair!Kuzupeko, so I did. Major SDR2 spoilers, and also warning for blood and dead bodies and disturbing stuff like that. I might make this into something bigger later. Hm....

Peko was in despair. It was strange to say that about someone who was considered so emotionless, but it was true. She was in deep, deep despair. For her entire life, she had put up with people telling her that she was no more than a mere tool, and that her life itself held no meaning other than to protected her young master. She had always wanted to throw that away and become more human, to stand by Kuzuryuu’s side as not his tool but his friend…

One thing crashed after the other. It started with her young mistress’s death and only went down from there. It wasn’t long before Kuzuryuu himself fell deep into despair, and she plunged down right with him.

"Isn’t it great, Peko!" laughed Kuzuryuu. "We’re finally free!"

Peko smiled at him. “Yes, Young Master. It feels wonderful…”

Peko and Kuzuryuu stood in what used to be the Kuzuryuu Group’s main house. But lying on the floor all around the two teenagers were the dead bodies of countless yakuza. There was his uncle, who had told him countless times that he wasn’t good enough. There were his parents, who had wished that it had been him that died and not his sister. Peko’s foot lay resting on the head of the man who had trained her from a baby to be what she was today. Every day, he had reminded her of what she was, and convinced her that her life meant nothing. He had abused her emotionally for years. Now, he could feel her despair.

Kuzuryuu looked at all the dead bodies and simply grinned. He felt no shred of remorse for his parents, who he had shot dead without batting an eye. In their last moments, they realized they were oh so wrong for thinking their son wasn’t powerful.

"No more of that," command Kuzuryuu. "You’re not my tool anymore. It’s just Fuyuhiko now."

Peko smiled. “Fuyuhiko,” she addressed, his name passing so easily through her lips it was a wonder why she hadn’t called him that before. “Fuyuhiko,” she repeated.

The former yakuza heir sighed in happiness at the sound of his name in her voice. He reached for his swordswoman, pulling her into a tight embrace while standing atop several beaten bodies, and kissed her fully on the lips. She didn’t hesitate to respond. She wasn’t a tool anymore, and no one could tell her it was wrong for her to feel this way about him. It just felt so right, kissing him like this. The fact that they were only doing this now made her blood boil. Had it not been for those Kuzuryuu Yakuza, this sort of thing would have happened between them long ago without restraint…

They pulled away from their first kiss, looked at each other in the eyes, and then went for their second one. It ended up with Kuzuryuu pressing Peko into a wall, which was stained with crimson red blood. Passion and pure, unadulterated love passed between them as they kissed fully without restraint.

This was just the beginning of something that should have always been.


	8. Prompt: Ferris Wheel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The request for this one was Kuzu taking Peko to a Ferris Wheel, so naturally, this one's just very fluffy fluffy.

Peko’s eyes were locked on the sunset sky in front of her, though her face was as emotionless as usual. As he watched her observe the scene before her, Kuzuryuu couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Was she enjoying herself? It was impossible for him to read her face. He certainly hoped she was having a good time, even if her face didn’t show it. They did come here for her, after all.

He was pretty sure that Peko didn’t quite understand when he had blurted out that he wanted to take her on a date, because she accepted rather quickly without any sign of being taken aback by the request, or even flustered. She didn’t give him any of the “but I’m just a tool” crap that his family drilled into her brain, either. Now that he thought back on it, he had said it fairly quickly, and it was possible the “date” part slipped right by her ears.

So he had taken her to an amusement park, which was something Peko had never been to before. Sure, occasionally even a yakuza child like him got to go, but they had never once considered bringing the “tool” along. To them, it didn’t matter if she was happy. In fact, she was raised up with the intention of her never knowing what the difference was between a life with happiness and a life without. He wanted to show her, just once, what a place like this was like. 

Well, it was no matter. Maybe this was better. 

"Young Master," Peko suddenly addressed him, not bothering to look away from the sky.

"Y-Yes?" he replied, his rapid heartbeat causing him to stutter.

"…The sky is very beautiful from here," she commented. "I have never seen anything like it. It looks so colorful." She reached under her glasses and rubbed her senstive eyes a little bit, before continuing to stare.

Kuzuryuu felt relieved by her comment. So she was happy, then. “Isn’t it? I used to love this when I was taken here with little sister.”

He was afraid that he had offended her by his careless comment. Peko had missed out on a large part of childhood. Mainly, hers had been consisted of being lecture by yakuza in an attempt to brainwash her, and practicing kendo. Perhaps he felt like he needed to help fill her in on what she had missed out as a child by taking her places like this.

"Ah. I remember a few times when you were taken here as a treat. I always stayed home and practiced," she recalled, but showed no sign of being bothered. "It’s very kind of you to take me to these places, Young Master. The sunset looks much better from up here."

Kuzuryuu blushed. “You’re welcome…” He replied. 

The fact that she was enjoying herself made him feel more relaxed, so he took the time to observe her more carefully. There was just the faintest of smiles on her face now, which was always a good sign, considered how few emotions she showed. It was a shame, really. Her smile always was so bright, and it made his heart leap in his chest. She was especially beautiful in that moment, staring out into the sunset with the colors of the sky reflecting upon her smile. Kuzuryuu felt his face grow hotter and hotter with each second he took to observe his beautiful swordswoman.

A part of him must have become foolishly bold. The yakuza slowly moved his hand to rest gently on hers. The warmth of his hand caused Peko to gasp slightly, and rip her eyes away from the sun to look at him with whatever little shock and curiosity her face did show. His eyes locked onto hers for just enough time for him to admire them, before he turned and looked away, blushing madly.

Yet, his hand still rested on hers. He didn’t feel brave enough to move it, as it would only draw more attention to it.

That’s when he felt Peko’s hand moving to slip out from beneath his, only for her to pull his hand up and press their palms together. She slipped her fingers between his, watching as they intertwined with a curious look on her face.

Kuzuryuu felt his body grow hot. “W-What are you doing, Peko?” he managed to stutter out.

Peko didn’t answer. Instead, she just stared at their intertwined fingers, and slowly began to lose the emotionless look on her face as it was replaced with a red hot blush.

"P-Peko?" stuttered an equally as flustered Kuzuryuu.

"…Your hand feels nice, that’s all," whispered Peko when she looked away to gaze at the sunset again. As she said those words, she squeezed his hand tighter. "It’s so warm, Young Master…" she whispered to him.

"A-Ah…" Kuzuryuu couldn’t say any more words, as they seemed to have been lost somewhere in his throat. 

Peko finally let go of his hand, but that certainly didn’t mean their tension ended just with that. The swordswoman was apparently feeling extra bold today, because the next thing he knew, her arm wrapped around his shoulders, and she gently tugged the boy closer to her side. 

"Peko…" whispered Kuzuryuu, barely able to utter anything else. She was so warm. The feeling of his body against hers was just so right. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing.

Peko whipped around to face him again, an embarrassed look all over her face, complete with a blush that nearly matched her eyes. “Young Master, I…!” Her voice was urgent and nervous. What was she going to say? Kuzuryuu’s heart practically was beating a hole in his chest. Was she going to… confess to him… or something like that?

However, in the next moment, her words died on her tongue, and she glanced away. “Never mind…” she muttered, withdrawing her hand from around his body. 

Kuzuryuu couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but in retrospect, he should have known that Peko wasn’t going to possibly say anything like what he had wished for. A relationship between a yakuza and his “tool” was strictly prohibited, and if the family found out, the two of them would be punished severely. Perhaps it was better to keep these silly romantic feelings he harbored for her at bay.

He returned to simply watching her gaze at the sunset, except this time, her face was not emotionless. She was still blushing, and it was as if she was no longer trying to even cover up what she was feeling. It was an adorable sight. 

Kuzuryuu smiled to himself. His first “date” with her was a success. Hopefully, there would be many more to come, perhaps ones that were more official than this one.


	9. Prompt: Role Swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An anon requested I write a role swap AU, where Kuzu is the tool and Peko is the yakuza heiress. I didn't want to change things too much, so they retain their personalities, even if their roles are swapped in this fan fiction. Otherwise, I thought it would be too different. Also, their names were kept the same, because it's easier.

After a long, tiring day full of battle and bloodshed, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu and Peko Pekoyama finally returned safely home, unlike many other yakuza members. There had been a vicious battle today with another gang who decided to pick a fight with the Pekoyama Group, which was a foolish idea in many ways. The Pekoyama Group was a yakuza group full of talented swordsmen and swordswomen, along with other kinds of weaponry. However, this gang proved to be stronger than thought, and resulted in the loss of many other Pekoyama yakuza.

"I’m such a worthless bodyguard," grumbled Kuzuryuu as he collapsed into his rather uncomfortable bed. "I couldn’t even do anything to help anyone, in the end. Even if I’m the one who is supposed to be her tool."

As an infant, Fuyuhiko was abandoned by his true parents, and quite by chance, happened to be picked up by a Pekoyama yakuza who found him lying in an empty street. They had thought this to be a stroke of good luck, and decided to take Fuyuhiko in to train him to be the hitman of the newly born heiress: Peko. Though he had been trained the art of the sword and had gotten quite good at shooting, no matter what it seemed, he could never match up with what the family had wanted him to be.

They surely had wanted a strong, young man who towered over opponents. Instead, they ended up with a boy who still had a baby face and didn’t even reach five foot two. The girl he was supposed to be defending was around seven inches taller and was far more masterful at sword fighting than he could ever hope to be. They had also wanted a young man who was stern, serious, and willing to murder in the blink of an eye. Kuzuryuu had problems holding back his emotions.

"Fuyuhiko," called a voice from outside the room. "I’m coming in."

The screen slid open, revealing Peko. She was slightly older than Kuzuryuu and certainly much taller. She had a pair of blood red eyes that were often emotionless, but occasionally, she would try to lose her fierce demeanor around him. 

"Are you all right?" she asked, walking over to the bed. "I know that battle was vicious. You saved my life many times today."

Kuzuryuu gritted his teeth. “You don’t have to lie, Young Mistress,” he grumbled, turning over. “You were so much better than me. I barely saved anyone.”

It seemed as though she was expecting this kind of response from Kuzuryuu, and just nodded. “I know that’s what you think, but it’s not true. Any of those men could have killed me, but you shot them all before they could. Even if you may think I am a master swordswoman, there is only so much I can do, sometimes.” She sighed, which was a rare sound for her to make. “I’m the heiress to this family, Fuyuhiko. Every attack is aimed at me. No matter how much I train, it is impossible for me to fend for myself against so many talent opponents.”

Her words were too kind. “Young Mistress, I know I’m worthless. Sensei makes sure to tell me that every day. Your parents make sure to tell me that every day.”

"It doesn’t matter what they may think," Peko responded. "I’m your ‘master.’ It only matters what I think, because you’re the one serving me. And I think you’re the best hitman I could ask for."

Kuzuryuu turned to look at Peko, who was surprisingly, smiling at him reassuringly. “The things you do for me mean a lot to me, Fuyuhiko. I’m very grateful to have you by my side…” she whispered. Her pale hand reached out to gently brush her bodyguard’s cheeks lovingly, a gesture that caused him to blush.

"Y-Young Mistress," he stuttered.

"Just call me Peko, please, Fuyuhiko," she requested.

No matter how many times she asked him to call her by her first name, Kuzuryuu had never been able to do it. It just didn’t seem right for him to refer to her so intimately when he was just a servant and no more. “…Young Mistress Peko,” he managed to get out.

Peko smiled. “That’s an improvement. We will work on proceeding forward until you’re fully able to say it.” Without warning, the Pekoyama heiress turned around and headed towards the door. “I have something to discuss with my parents. Don’t worry about anything for right now. Just know that I care for you… a lot…” She was not facing him, so Kuzuryuu had no way of knowing if she was blushing when she said that last part, but he was sure that she definitely was.

"Thank you, Young Mistress Peko," replied Kuzuryuu, smiling at her, even though she couldn’t see that he was doing so. Right as the heiress stepped out and slid the door closed, the bodyguard whispered under his breath.

"And I love you, too…"


	10. Prompt: Genderswap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested a genderswap AU, so this is what I did. I wasn't too sure what exactly to do for the scene, so it's really just general. I decided to keep Peko's name because her name doesn't really "mean" anything, and it's easier and less confusing.

Sometimes, Touko Kuzuryuu would swing by at her family’s dojo to get a peek at what went on there in the afternoon. Though most of the time she was in meetings with her parents at this time, discussing what it meant to be a Yakuza boss and whatnot, occasionally she managed to slip in during a training session.

Kuzuryuu watched from the sidelines as her noble swordsman, Peko Pekoyama, easily cut through his target. In every way, his movements and attacks were flawless. The sensei in charge of training him often talked about how he had never had a student as strong as Peko was, and how proud he was to call himself his sensei. Kuzuryuu was also in awe of her swordsman’s skills, too, and it was one of the many reasons she admired him so much.

"Good job, Pekoyama-kun," commented his sensei. "I think that’s enough for today. It looks like the Young Mistress wishes to see you."

Peko turned around to look at Kuzuryuu, and nodded his head. “Thank you, sensei.” His voice was stern and yet strangely gentle for a young swordsman. He bowed his head to him before moving to join Kuzuryuu.

He was a very well built and handsome young man. He was incredibly tall, reaching to an inch above six feet, which was a whole foot bigger than Kuzuryuu was. In addition that, he was also visibly very muscular and strong. It was possible to see his muscles flexing through his training uniform, which caused the yakuza heiress to blush. He had very pale skin and hair that was slightly long and kept within a braid, which contrasted to his deep red eyes that often felt like they were piercing through one’s very soul, even though they were kept behind glasses.

He looked down at her and smiled gently. “Hello, Young Mistress,” he greeted. “It’s good to see you.”

Kuzuryuu smiled back at him. “Looks like you were really doing well, huh?” She commented, her eyes shifting to the slashed target he had been training with just moments before.

"Thank you, but I still have a long way to go, Young Mistress," replied Peko, his facing turning back to a normal emotionless look. "If I want to fulfill my duty as your tool, I have to become stronger."

Kuzuryuu sighed. All this about being her tool again, huh? 

Peko was found on the street as little baby boy about a month before Kuzuryuu was born. They decided to take him in to train him to become her tool, and it was evident that their methods of brainwashing him were very effective. It was as if he had no view of himself as a human, or as a part of the world beyond being just her bodyguard. Kuzuryuu hated what they had done to him. All she really wanted was to have him by her side, but the family wouldn’t allow that.

Actually, for a very long time now, Kuzuryuu had harbored feelings for her swordsman, though she attempted to bury them away. The family would be disappointed if they knew she had interest in her swordsman, of all people…

"Cut the Young Mistress crap… Just call me Touko," replied Kuzuryuu, crossing her arms under her chest as she looked away, a slight blush on her face. A part of her longed to hear that voice of his say her real name for the longest time, but Peko refused. He insisted on this whole "Young Mistress" business.

Peko shook his head. “That would be improper of me, Young Mistress.”

She sighed. Just as usual then, huh? “I’m going to walk through the garden a bit. You should join me.”

"Of course." Kuzuryuu longed for Peko to come with her on his own will, not because he felt obligated to due to his role as her tool. Of course, there was no way to tell what he was thinking, but it always certainly seemed like he was only doing it because he was supposed to. One day, Kuzuryuu would be sure to ask him, and try to fix that.

The two of them left the dojo and wandered through the Kuzuryuu gardens. A lot was on Kuzuryuu’s mind at the moment, but Peko, as usual, didn’t show any signs of what he was thinking.

"Hey, Peko…" Kuzuryuu spoke up.

"Yes, Young Mistress?"

"…Do you think I can really become the Yakuza boss when I’m older?" she asked him.

Peko didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Young Mistress.”

"No, but answer me honestly,” Kuzuryuu urged him. Everyone in the family doubted the heiress, some claiming it would be better if his young sister took over rather than her. Her little sister was though to be far more aggressive and capable than she was. Looking at the two of them, people would often think that the younger sister was older than Kuzuryuu. It was hard to be intimidating at five foot one.

Peko shook her head. “I am answering honestly, Young Mistress. Though people do not see potential in you, I certainly do. You have the power to rule this family, and I will be here by your side to assist you until my last breath.” He crossed his arms over his muscular chest and turned to look down at Kuzuryuu. “I have faith in you. So don’t give up.”

Kuzuryuu smiled a little bit. Hearing that at least he had some belief in her made her feel a little better about the subject. After all, he was the most powerful person she knew. “Thank you, Peko.”

"You are welcome, Young Mistress." He wore the faintest of smiles on his face as he admired her. Kuzuryuu wondered for a moment if he felt the same way that she felt about him. What would he think? What would the family think?

She sighed. Maybe it just couldn’t be.

She was wrong about that, as it turned out later.


	11. Prompt: Mastermind AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested an AU with Kuzu and Peko as the two masterminds of SDR2. This one turned out a lot longer than I expected it to be. There's obviously MAJOR SPOILERS in this one. This is a very different kind of Kuzupeko, more like the Kuzupeko in the despair prompt.

Kuzuryuu’s twisted laughter echoed throughout the court room as the four other students in it stared in horror, all of them completely motionless with their jaws gaping wide open. 

"Hahahaha… Wow, you guys are such dumbasses!" cried Kuzuryuu through bursts of uncontrollable laughter. "You think that Junko Enoshima is really the one behind all this?”

"W-What are you saying, Kuzuryuu-kun?" asked Souda, his voice shaken with fear. "Hinata-kun himself deducted it…!" The mechanic glanced towards Hinata, looking for confirmation.

However, Hinata had nothing but a horrified look painted all over his face. All signs of confidence in his previous deduction, that Junko Enoshima had placed them in an artificial world and was the one behind this twisted game of mutual killing, were gone. 

"H-Hinata…kun?" Souda gasped.

Kuzuryuu smirked at the other students. “Junko Enoshima may have been the leader of us in despair, but she died…!”

"That may be true, but… Since this is an artificial reality, Enoshima could just be an artificial intelligence," Sonia suggested, trying to cling onto the last shred of hope she had. "So it’s still possible that Enoshima is really the one behind all this…!"

"Maybe Kuzuryuu’s just playing with us?" Akane suggested with a nervous laugh. 

However, Kuzuryuu simply burst into laughter at their ideas. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as his maniacal cackling grew louder and louder with each second. “You guys are still dumbasses! Junko Enoshima died without any plans for us despair! But I… I was the one who came up with this idea! When we found out they planned on rehabilitating us in some stupid program, we worked together and built this virus, so that we could resist their hope! However…” He grinned. “I may have made a few modifications here and there…”

Sonia blinked. “Modifications… what do you mean?”

"I mean, I changed the virus so that you all would forget like the Future Foundation wanted and go back to being weaklings without despair…! I wanted the pleasure of watching you all frantically kill each other! I loved the first game of mutual killing so much, that I knew I had to conduct my own, no matter who I had to use!" explained Kuzuryuu, his voice unsteady and full of madness. This was nothing like the boy they had seen during the field trip on this island. Just what had happened to him?

Akane’s fists clenched and she shifted into her fighting stance, her teeth grinding together in anger. “What the hell? You were willing to throw us away? Even _Pekoyama?_ ”

Kuzuryuu’s smirk and laughter instantly died at the mention of the swordswoman. He looked down at the ground, hiding his face from the others. “Is that what you think? You think I just threw away my dearest friend…?” His face shot up, his eyes blazing hot with pure rage. “Well then, you’re completely wrong! I never would do anything like that to my beloved Peko!”

"You let her die!" Akane snapped back, snarling.

Kuzuryuu crossed his arms. “Is Peko really dead, though?” he asked.

It was like he had dropped a bomb in the court. Everyone went completely silent as they processed his words. Was he trying to imply that Peko wasn’t dead? They had all seen her get stabbed by hundreds of robot samurai before their very eyes. Peko was most certainly dead… wasn’t she?

"I would never… I would never kill Peko!" hissed Kuzuryuu, his voice full of venom. "Who do you think you are, throwing her name around so casually? You know nothing about us…!" His temper grew hideously violent the moment his swordswoman was dragged into the conversation. His face looked like he wanted to slaughter them all brutally for bringing the suggestion up.

"Then, if Peko’s not dead, what was that execution we saw?" Hinata questioned. "Those samurai stabbed her to death over your own injured body…!"

"Have you forgotten so quickly?" asked the yakuza heir, his voice taunting. "This is a game! I can do anything I want in this reality!" He grinned at the thought as his arms wrapped tightly around him, like a serpent suffocating its prey. "My Peko and I… we planned this all from the start. She and I were in on this together. She helped me modify the virus so that only us two would remember, so that we could enjoy the despair together…"

The sickening look in his eyes was strangely familiar. It reminded the students of Tsumiki Mikan, right before her execution. She had worn a similar expression as she proclaimed she murdered Ibuki and Saionji for the sake of the person she loved. The emotion Kuzuryuu wore was twisted, obsessive love for his swordswoman. 

"We planned to stage her execution with that whole Twilight Murder thing. I mean, it was so damn obvious it was staged!" he laughed. "That dumb incentive would only cause someone like me or her to murder! Like anyone else would have murdered over such a stupid thing that hardly relates to them." A look of genuine sorrow washed over his face. "Although, I can assure you that the events of the game were a hundred percent real… Even the death of my beloved younger sister…" It was clear he had a hard time dealing with the memory. Perhaps his sister’s death was what drove him off into despair in the first place.

"Anyway! Since this is a game and no one’s really dead until they think they’re dead, I just had the warriors stab Peko and I! But Peko knew she wouldn’t die, because it’s just a game, so she was perfectly fine!” he cackled. “That’s why Nidai didn’t die when he was hit by such a powerful weapon! He refused to believe he died!”

Kuzuryuu continued to laugh on, but one question was burning in the minds of the remaining students. 

"Then, if Pekoyama isn’t dead…" started Souda.

"Where is she?" finished Kuzuryuu. "Simple."

That’s when they realized. All eyes focused on the one person in the room they had completely forgotten was there, because they had been so silent since Kuzuryuu’s revelation. Monokuma held his paws to his mouth as be began to laugh that horrid laugh everyone dreaded.

"Upupupupu… Where’s Pekoyama, I wonder?" laughed Monokuma. "I mean, I’m just an artificial intelligence! I don’t need anyone to control me or anything!" The bear seemed to giggle a little bit. “…Doesn’t mean I can’t have someone controlling me, though.”

With a puff of smoke, Monokuma disappeared, and where he was standing now stood the swordswoman, adorning an outfit of black and white. Her braids were hung by two hair clips shaped after Monokuma, one side white, one side black. As usual, she had a bag slung over her shoulder, containing the sword she never let go of. She let out a small sigh as all the smoke went away. “It feels nice to finally be myself again. Playing the part of Monokuma is a… difficult task.” She shrugged. “At least I got to enjoy pretending to be all fluffy fluffy…”

The students gasped. It really was her. Peko, who they thought had been horribly executed, was really alive. That whole heartbreaking scene that had played out before their very eyes… it had all been an act?

Kuzuryuu’s maddened look soften as he rested eyes upon the swordswoman. “I’m so happy to see you, Peko,” he told her honestly, his voice full of adoration. “I missed seeing your beautiful face…”

Peko smiled a little. “You’re too kind, Fuyuhiko…”

No one knew what to say to the two masterminds before them. The way they interacting with each other was a little awkward to watch. Kuzuryuu seemed to be regarding her with unrestrained love, and though Peko was still unnervingly emotionless, it was evident that her affections for her young master were equally as obsessive.

Kuzuryuu removed himself from where he was standing and instead took his place beside his lover, who wrapped her arms around protectively. “Peko, my love, it’s been too long since I’ve felt your body…” whispered Kuzuryuu.

Peko nodded. “Of course, Fuyuhiko. But we will have our time to enjoy ourselves later.” Her red eyes, which now seemed to be a hundred times more evil than before, focused on the group of students. “It appears we have others to take care of first.”

Kuzuryuu smirked. “I think you’re right, Peko. What will we do with them, then? Shall we execute them?”

Souda squeaked in fear. “E-Execute…! But we haven’t killed anyone, you can’t execute us! That’s against your own rules!” he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the two of them.

"You have forgotten the rules for this trial. You were not able to successfully guess the mastermind behind this game," reminded Peko. "Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to execute you. I believe those were the rules of this trial, were they not, Fuyuhiko?"

Kuzuryuu nodded and laughed maliciously. “You’re absolutely right! We won, fair and square! That means it wouldn’t be breaking the rules to execute you all, here and now!”

Peko looked into her young master’s eyes. “Then, will we do it?”

"Yes, Peko. Let’s do it. Together."

One by one, the remaining students were sent to their executions. Peko and Kuzuryuu sat cuddling each other as they watched the students meet their brutal ends. It was so despair-inducing, watching them die with horror in their eyes. After all, these students had been their allies in despair, once. 

Once they were all dead, Peko and Kuzuryuu looked to each other, crazy amounts of love in both of their eyes. They leaned in to passionately kiss each other, neither of them holding back anymore.

They were finally alone. There was no one there to stop them now. They could be together at last.


	12. Prompt: Despair!Peko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I don't know about you, but when I think of Despair Peko, I honestly think she's a little more psychotic than people picture her to be. A lot of people just say despair Peko was in despair because Kuzuryuu, but I think there's a lot more behind that. I think that she finally realizes how awful people have been to her all her life and how messed up it was to treat her like a tool, and she just snaps. So I played with that idea and this happened. SDR2 Spoilers, but....
> 
> WARNING for: Blood, not too graphic violence but still possibly disturbing violence, insane!Peko, and some making out at the end. 
> 
> Also, I mentioned this on my Tumblr, but my head canon for Peko's name is that her sensei was named *something* Pekoyama and gave her his surname because she didn't have one. He just picked Peko to be her first name because he honestly didn't really care. You may have different head canons, but that's mine. Yup.

The door to the familiar Kuzuryuu Dojo slid open as easily as she had always remembered it to. Peko Pekoyama peeked inside. The old dojo had barely changed since she had last been here, before she departed for what was supposed to be her final year at Hope’s Peak Academy. It still was her final year, but in an entirely different sense…

As expected, there was the man Peko had come here looking for, sitting on a small cushion inside. His eyes were closed, perhaps because he was in deep thought. Peko knew this man well. This man had been her sensei since the day she was rescued from a cardboard box in an old alleyway. Though he had been generous enough to lend Peko his surname, her sensei was in no way a kind man. He was the one who had taught her how to use a sword and the one who had brainwashed her into thinking she was worth nothing.

Every day, he would sit down and tell her the same thing: “You’re a tool. Your life means nothing. You mean nothing. The only reason you live is to protect young master Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. That’s the only reason why I saved you from that alleyway.” Then, he would put her through hours of rough training, until Peko had become a master of the sword. She even managed to beat him, eventually. 

She hadn’t come here to say hi to him. No, she had come here for the exact opposite reason. Kuzuryuu had opened her eyes, and she finally realized how cruel this man was. He had taken her and brainwashed, calling her things like “tool” and “worthless.”

She had endured too many years of those words. Now, she had finally lost it, after Kuzuryuu told her what she truly was to him. She was not his tool, but his dearest companion and much more than just that.

Sensei Pekoyama peeked an eye open. “You, Tool. Why have you come back here? Aren’t you supposed to be in that boarding school?” he growled at her with his usual hostility. He may have trained her and given her his surname, but he had never formed any sort of attachment to the swordswoman. 

"I suppose I am supposed to be, yes," answered Peko as she began to approach the man.

Her sensei stood up, glaring at her. “What is that supposed to mean? Why did you come back?” he demanded.

The swordswoman looked down at the floorboards. “Sensei, you know how you used to always tell me that I was a tool?” she asked him instead of answering his question.

Her sensei raised an eyebrow. “Of course. I taught you to understand your place in life so that you could serve the purpose you needed to,” he answered.

She frowned. “I think you’re wrong about that,” she replied bluntly.

His enraged reaction was instant. “What do you mean, tool? I am right about everything I taught you,” the man spat.

Peko shook her head. “You see, the Young Master opened my eyes, Sensei.” One of her hands began to drift over to the sheath she carried over her shoulder, which usually contained her shinai. “He told me all about what he thought. He told me that I wasn’t a tool, that I always meant so much more to him than just that… and I realized then what you had done to me.”

A look of rage and confusion washed over his face. “What the hell are you talking about, Tool? Are you going up against me? Are you defying your position?”

Although Peko had never liked him, she knew her sensei well. When he was too angry, he lost his ability to think and act properly. This was exactly the reaction she had planned him to have. She smirked, just to make him that much more upset. “I am.”

This response sent her sensei into a fit. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” he demanded, stepping towards her. “I am your sensei. I am the one who tells you what the truth is! And as the one who saved you in the first place, I decide what you are! You are nothing more than a mere tool I trained. You are NOT allowed to listen to that fuck-up of a yakuza heir. Do you understand that?” he almost screamed in her face.

Like a flash of lighting, Peko drew her weapon from her back. Instead of her shinai, she carried with her a sharp, genuine sword. Her sensei was too stunned and enraged from all the events that had just happened before that he couldn’t think when he saw the silver flash of Peko’s blade. With a quick lunge forward, Peko thrust the sword into her sensei’s stomach and ripped right through his back, the end of her sword stabbing the wall behind her. 

The man gawked, slowly looking down at the sword in his stomach. Blood began to drip out of his mouth and onto the floorboards of the dojo he had trained the very girl who had just struck him. 

Peko grinned maliciously, which was an unnerving sight. She rarely showed such emotion, but now, she had such evident bloodlust in her bright, red eyes.

"I am not a tool," she declared. "You were the one who taught me such, so you deserve to die." She said it so simply, so barren of emotion, that it was more terrifying than the sight of her murderous eyes. 

Peko drew the blade back, sending the man’s body down to the ground with a thump. Crimson blood the shade of her eyes splattered all over her body. As she looked down at her dying sensei, she couldn’t help but grin evilly at him. It felt so good, watching him die. His eyes were full of despair, knowing that he was the one who had raised this girl in the first place. Perhaps now he was thinking about how he should have treated her better, because maybe then, she wouldn’t have had to kill him.

The very feeling of his despair caused her to snap fully. Peko wildly began to stab and slice at her already dying sensei, causing him to scream in horrible pain with movement. She kept ripping at him, even long after he was dead. He deserved to be destroyed.

Peko stepped back and admired her work. He was practically unrecognizable now, with his face torn up and his entire body covered in crimson.

Yet, for some reason, she didn’t feel satisfied with just this. This was only one person who had taught her, however, there were many other yakuza who had treated her badly. A burning desire for murder rose up inside her as she thought of her sword, covered in the blood of all those who had told her she was a tool.

A horribly twisted grin spread across her entire face. She wanted to kill more. She had to kill more. After all, they deserved it after abusing her for so many years! 

"Peko!" Kuzuryuu called out from the doorway.

At the very sound of his voice, she instantly whipped around to face him. Her evil smile was replaced with one of adoration. “Fuyuhiko,” she addressed him gently.

Kuzuryuu approached her, and Peko embraced him fully, smearing the blood that had been on her against his clothing. “I did it, Fuyuhiko. I killed him. I finally killed my Sensei…”

Kuzuryuu warmly returned the embrace, cradling her body as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “I’m so glad, Peko. That man should have been murdered so long ago. It was about time…” He pulled back from her to look at her in the eye, smiling warmly. He had gotten taller over the years, and no longer did he have to look up in order to meet her gaze.

"It was," she agreed with him. She reached her hand out to stoke her young master’s cheek lovingly as enormous amounts of adoration rose up within her from just looking at him. 

Kuzuryuu leaned forward and kissed her fully on the lips, which Peko returned enthusiastically. They twisted their hands around each others bodies and pulled themselves so close to each other that their bodies were practically smashed together. As the kiss continued, their passion grew. Kuzuryuu lapped at her lips hungrily, and Peko opened her mouth and reached for his tongue with her own. The two of them slid their tongues against each other, tasting the other’s saliva. They found themselves up against the wall, which was splattered with crimson from the murder that had happened just minutes before. Neither of them really cared about the blood or the dead body.

They eventually pulled away from each other, and then just simply gazed into each other’s eyes. They were both so full of love for each other that the feeling was almost overwhelming them.

"We’ll continue this later," Kuzuryuu whispered into his lover’s ear. "We have some more people to take care of, first…"

Peko smiled as she placed her hands on her young master’s chest, feeling underneath his clothes desperately. “All right.”

Kuzuryuu returned Peko’s smile warmly. He gave her one lass kiss on the lips before turning around and heading towards the door. “Let’s get rid of my parents, next,” he decided.

The swordswoman nodded. “Of course, Fuyuhiko.”


	13. Prompt: Dress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested a fic where Kuzuryuu helps Peko out of a dress (or something similar) so I wrote this. Just a quick warning for awkward situations, embarrassed teenagers, and some sexual tension, of course.
> 
> (Has anyone notices that my prompts are getting longer and longer?)

Peko frowned as she looked down upon herself and the dress that she had been stuffed in. There had been a small school dance at the gymanuism that night, and for some reason, Koizumi, a photographer in the class below, insisted on getting Peko dressed up for the occasion. Though dances or parties weren’t really her thing, she couldn’t refuse such a kind offer from someone, so she just said yes. 

The dress had too many straps and she could barely make sense of what was supposed to remove first or last. Did girls her age normally know how to do stuff like this? Koizumi had no trouble getting her into the dress, but she had gone off with her friend Saionji to do something or another, and now, she couldn’t ask anyone. It wasn’t like she had any friends other than her young master Kuzuryuu, and occasionally Ishimaru, but it wasn’t like either of them would understand how to get a girl out of a dress anymore than she did.

She pondered her options, and it seemed like she had no choice but to go to Kuzuryuu for help. The last person she wanted to ask was Ishimaru, who would probably be eighty times more confused than she was. Peko dragged herself over to her young master’s dorm room, and ringed the bell.

The door opened instantly. Kuzuryuu, who had not been at the party, had spend the whole night alone in his dorm. He was probably glad to finally have some form of company. When he saw Peko all dressed up in a fancy outfit, his cheeks turned raspberry red, and his eyes began doing a quick scan up and down her figure.

"Peko? What are you wearing?" asked Kuzuryuu

"A dress," she answered simply.

"Obviously, I can tell that much!" the yakuza heir grumbled in frustration. "I meant why are you wearing it?”

"I ran into Koizumi and her friends on the way to the my dorm. When she realized I didn’t plan on attending the dance, she insisted I come, and she put me in this." She looked down at the dress again. It felt odd, being in clothes as fancy as this. She didn’t usual wear such attire. Koizumi had insisted that she looked very beautiful in the dress, but Peko wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t quite judge her self image, as she had never really been concerned about it. The family had made sure that she wouldn’t care about such things.

Kuzuryuu’s eyes continued to glance at the dress, and the beautiful girl wearing it. His face grew redder by the moment. “I… see…” he managed to get out. “So, why did you leave?”

"It was too crowded and Koizumi went off with Saionji," she explained. "So I went back to my dorm to remove this. But…" She frowned, pointing to the many straps. "I don’t know how to. So I came here."

The boy blinked in confusion. “What, why? I don’t know how to get off a dress, either! Why should I know?” he questioned her.

Peko looked hesitant. “I don’t think you do, but I would appreciate assistance. May I come in?” she requested.

Realizing what exactly Peko was asking of him, Kuzuryuu’s whole body seemed to tense up, and he felt all the blood in his body rush to his cheeks. “Um… sure…” he spoke, inviting the girl inside. He stiffly walked over to his bed, trying to hide his red hot face from his swordswoman. Was Peko honestly asking him to undress her? In his dorm room? At night, when they were all alone? He wondered if she even understood the implications of their situation.

"I think you have to remove the strap in the back first, but I can’t untie it from here. Would you help me, Young Master?" 

Kuzuryuu was having a hard time keeping a casual look on his face. It felt like his entire body went rigid, and his muscles would barely obey his commands to move closer towards the girl. His teeth were biting hard into his lip, drawing a little blood, as he attempted to control his thoughts. Peko wasn’t trying to do anything here, obviously. She just wanted his help, and didn’t understand why this could be an issue…

"S-Sure…" His hands moved robotically towards the strap in Peko’s back, and he began undoing it. Heat flushed down his whole body as thoughts of his swordswoman drifted into his mind. He tried futilely to block them out, but as he was undoing her strap, the only thing his mind would let him think of was him gently removing her clothes as she lay beneath him on his bed, smiling and blushing at him. 

His fingers fumbled with the strap and eventually managed to get it undone. “I did it, Peko,” he muttered, trying to control his emotions. 

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Young Master. I think I know how to get this off, now," she spoke. In the next moment, she very casually pulled the dress off herself, and the fabric pooled down onto the ground. 

Kuzuryuu jerked his head to the wall, his body growing hotter and more stiff with each second. He was very aware that before him stood Peko in nothing but her underwear. She was acting as if this was no big deal, but he could feel drops of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Ah…" Peko said. "It appears I have made a grave error. I did not bring my clothing with me to your room."

Those words hit poor Kuzuryuu like a truck. “W-What? You forgot your damn clothes, Peko???” he stuttered out. “How the hell did you manage that?”

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I had a moment of forgetfulness. Forgive me, Young Master.” She looked down at the crumbled up dress at her feet. “Unfortunately, I do not know how to get this dress back on. Do you know how to, Young Master?”

All Kuzuryuu could manage was a quick shake of the head.

"Hm…" Peko took the time to think for a moment. "It can’t be helped. Will you do me a favor, Young Master?"

He still didn’t look at her. “Y-Yes, Peko?”

"Would you mind taking my keys and getting some clothes for me from my room, and bringing it back here?" she requested. "I would normally do this myself, but as you can see, I am not in a proper state of dress."

This situation was just getting rougher and rougher by the second, wasn’t it? Was Peko asking him to dig through her clothing? "O-Of course…" was all Kuzuryuu could say. He moved automatically towards Peko and held his palm out for her, though he still refused to look at her while she was almost naked like this. It would be rude of him.

Peko placed the keys in his hand. “Thank you, Young Master.”

With that, Kuzuryuu bolted out of the room and slammed the door behind him. He felt relief as he escaped Peko and that stuffy room, but now, his task was about to get more complicated. He walked over to Peko’s room and slid the key in.

Her room was as well organized as usual, so it wasn’t hard for him to find where she kept her nightclothes. But… His face flustered. What was he supposed to get her? He didn’t know what she would prefer to sleep in today, or what she usually did. What if she preferred one shirt more than another?

It took him about twenty minutes to finally make up his flustered mind, and he just grabbed onto the first thing he could. Then, clutching the clothes to his chest, he darted out of the room.

"Fuyuhiko-chan, is that you?" called a girl from across the hall energetically. It was Ibuki Mioda, a well known musician. He had heard of her before from his sister, who was in the same class she was. "What are you doing with Peko-chan’s clothing?" she asked.

His heart stopped in his chest. “I… uh…!” He hesitated. How in the world was he supposed to explain this? “S-She asked me to get her some clothes…”

Ibuki grinned. “Oh, really? Where is Peko-chan now?”

"M-My room…" he said.

"Your room!?" exclaimed Ibuki, surprise in her voice. She gasped. "I never knew you and Peko-chan were together…! And you’re already that far in your relationship?"

Kuzuryuu didn’t have time to object. Ibuki just laughed. “I would have never guessed! Well, I don’t want to keep you two apart, enjoy your night together with Peko-chan, Fuyuhiko-chan!” she said to him, in a voice so loud he was sure the whole hallway could hear. Ibuki dashed off, probably back to the dance party, and he was left standing there, flustered and stunned with his jaw hanging wide open.

Shit…! This would be around the whole school by tomorrow, wouldn’t it? God, how was he going to explain himself? Before he could think more about the subject, the sound of another dorm room opening jerked him out of his thoughts. Oh god, he couldn’t let anyone else see him! The boy dashed off as fast as he could back to his dorm, his feet pounding down the hallways.

When he opened the door, however, he was greeted by the unexpected sight of Peko, wet and naked except for a towel. “Ah, you’re back, Young Master. You were taking a while, so I decided to take a shower. I hope you don’t mind…” she explained.

Kuzuryuu froze up for what must have been the hundredth time tonight. “I…” He couldn’t say anything as a tomato red blush crept up onto his face.

Peko blinked at him. “Thank you, Young Master. That was very kind of you to do something like that for me.” She reached for the clothing in his hands casually and took them out. She didn’t comment at all on what he had picked out for her.

However, it was then she finally noticed how flustered and uncomfortable her young master was. She spend a moment to look at his covered face, and when she realized just what was the problem, her face mimicked his by turning an equal shade of red. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was standing in front of Kuzuryuu, almost completely naked. Just one slip and the towel would fall to the ground, and she would have absolutely nothing to hide from him.

"Y-Young Master!" stuttered Peko. "I… I… I am very sorry…!" She dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut as fast as she could.

Now that she was gone for a moment, he had some time to breath. These last thirty minutes had been the most embarrassing in his entire life, no contest. His face was still red and his body still stiff from the incident. Now, not only was Peko just as aware of the situation, but tomorrow, a false rumor would be spreading around the whole school that he was having a very intimate relationship with her. How was he supposed to explain that to her?

When Peko came out and laid eyes on her young master, she got all flustered again. “I apologize…!” She snatched up the dress from the ground. “I shall be going back to my room now! Thank you very much, Young Master…!” She slowly approached the door, but the moment she stepped out, she bolted right off in an embarrassed rush. Kuzuryuu could do nothing but stand there for a moment, blinking and blushing.

They didn’t speak to each other until after class the next day, when Peko asked him why she had been confronted by several students who questioned her about her sexual experiences with him. He didn’t know how to respond to that.


	14. Prompt: Zombie AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon requested I do a zombie AU with Kuzupeko, and I liked the idea, so here's what I came up with. DR spoilers and SDR2 spoilers, naturally! Also zombies, if that's even a trigger.

People thought the idea of a zombie apocalypse was one big joke, until it actually happened one day. It started at a school called Hope’s Peak Academy in Japan, when a girl decided to cause despair upon the universe by creating an army of zombies, and it just spread from there. There were a few that managed to escape from the school, but no one could stop the zombies from spreading all around the Earth.

The streets were abandoned. People were locked in houses, hiding from their inevitable fates. Some people were luckier than others, having had weapons or objects that could be used as weapons. There were others who banded together to try to fight off the undead monsters, but unfortunately, the numbers were uneven. There were too many zombies and too few humans. 

There was a small group of kids from Hope’s Peak who had banded together to try to protect themselves and fight against the monsters their classmate had created, but…

"PEKO!" screamed a boy named Kuzuryuu, pounding on the steel door that separated their hideout from the outside world. 

A bulky man named Nidai crossed his arms over his chest, a genuine frown on his face. “It appears Pekoyama didn’t make it through the door on time…”

"Not again!" shouted the former princess Sonia. "This is just too cruel!"

Kuzuryuu slammed his fist against the door again and again, hoping for a sign of her out there. If only Peko hadn’t insisted on staying behind to fight off the incoming zombies… then maybe she would have gotten through the door in time. 

She had been a split second behind. Kuzuryuu recalled the moment. He had been turned around, watching Peko through the doorway, holding his hand out to grab her outstretched hand… only for the iron door to slam into place, cutting off Kuzuryuu and Peko, probably forever.

A girl named Saionji huffed. “Serves her right! If it weren’t for that idiot yakuza, Big Sis Koizumi might have made it back in time, too!”

There was an incident that had happened last time, where Kuzuryuu, Peko, and Koizumi were about to be locked out. However, Peko had grabbed Kuzuryuu’s arm and slipped inside, leaving Koizumi stuck behind. The zombies made quick work of her.

"Isn’t that pushing it a little bit?" suggested Souda, scratching the back of his head.

Kuzuryuu ignored all conversation and pressed his head to the iron door, attempting to listen for a sign, any sign that Peko was still out there alive. But all there was from the other side was the heavy breathing of the zombies who had been trapped out along with Peko.

She had to be gone, then. Kuzuryuu sunk down to the floor, balling himself up and allowing tears to pour from his eyes. His sobs echoed through the entire shelter, ripping everyone’s hearts. They wanted to help the boy, but there was nothing they could do. 

Peko was gone.

A few days later, the group went out again for its usual battle. However, Kuzuryuu was not in good spirits. Peko was usually by his side, helping him all the way, but now… Where she stood was only emptiness.

He gripped her sword. He had found it lying outside the door. It was the only thing left of her. He had little to no experience with handling this kind of weaponry, but… he really wanted to hang onto it, for her. It was like a part of her was still with him.

"All right, just remember the rules we came up with," Hinata reminded the group.

"……….You’re starting to sound like Togami-kun, Hinata-kun," Nanami pointed out. Togami was their old leader, however, that hadn’t lasted very long. A crucial mistake on Hanamura’s part let to Togami being devoured. There were only a few of them who tried to save Hanamura when he was later attacked and devoured too.

"Waah, I miss Byakuya-chan!" proclaimed Ibuki loudly. 

"Silence, everyone!" ordered Sonia, her royal demeanor quieting everyone at once. "I think they’re coming!"

They all hid in a nearby alleyway as a hoard of zombies approached them. Kuzuryuu clutched Peko’s sword. If these were the zombies that had killed Peko, then he would be sure to take them down for her sake. After he dealt with all the zombies, the girl who had created this mess was next on his list.

"One… Two… Three…!" whispered Hinata. At number three, all of them jumped out at the zombies, holding their assorted weapons. Some of them were actual, genuine weapons, while others made use of everyday items that were surprisingly effective. 

Kuzuryuu raised Peko’s sword and slashed at an incoming zombie, causing it to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. He didn’t know what he was doing so much, but he didn’t care. His body proceeded forward as he slashed through every single zombie he could, mindlessly killing the beasts who had destroyed his beloved swordswoman, and the only person he had ever cared about.

Another zombie approached. He was about to cut down on them, but…

His heart froze and his body seemed to as well as his eyes focused on the zombie in front of them. Aside from the slowly decaying skin and the dead look in her eyes, there was nothing about her that was different from the girl Kuzuryuu had just lost the other day. He drew his sword back quickly, his mouth wide open. 

"P-Peko?" he whispered to her.

"Young Master." She dipped her head in greeting. "I’m sorry. I ended up becoming one of them…" She paused."But it seems there is a part of me that has kept onto sanity…"

Kuzuryuu’s eyes watered up. “P-Peko…!” he yelled. His mind didn’t even consider the possibility that this was some cruel trap as he leapt for her, wrapping his arms tightly around her body. She was unnaturally cold and she smelled like death, but he did the best he could to ignore those unpleasant sensations. The girl responded by wrapping her arms around him as well, a smile on her face.

However, their moment of reunion was interrupted. Peko quickly jumped away as someone came up from behind with a large lead pipe in their hands. Kuzuryuu’s nearly froze to the ground as he realized what was happening, and Peko had to grab his hand and jerk him out of the way.

The pipe swept through thin air, narrowly missing him.

"What the fuck, Saionji?" shouted Kuzuryuu at the younger girl. "What do you think you’re doing?"

Saionji huffed. “That’s not Big Sis Pekoyama, you shortie!” Kuzuryuu didn’t bother to point out the hypocrisy in that statement. “She’s one of them now, she has to die!”

Kuzuryuu clenched his teeth. “No! She’s different!”

The commotion had caused several people to gather around, while others attempted to fend off the now heavily depleted zombies. “Whaaat?” Souda cried, dropping his wrench instantly. “Is that Pekoyama?”

"No way, no way!" cried Ibuki. "Ibuki was not prepared for this turn of events!"

Kuzuryuu eyed the others. “Yes, it’s her. And she hasn’t lost her mind either, so there’s no reason to kill her.”

Komaeda crossed his arms. “Could you be so sure about that, though? Who knows how long it takes for a zombie to lose its sanity. It’s only been a few days. Pekoyama-san can snap at any time,” he suggested.

Kuzuryuu scowled at the boy. “Shut up! It’s not true! Peko’s different!” he insisted. “Don’t you fucking dare kill her, you shitheads! I’ll fuck you up!” he threatened them, all his words completely honest. 

Hinata observed the girl while Peko simply stood there, looking back at all the others. “…I don’t know what to say, Kuzuryuu.”

"God damn it, guys!" Kuzuryuu was going to lose this battle, wasn’t he? They were going to kill Peko again, right after she had already been torn away from him once. Couldn’t they see that she was Peko? Perhaps they just didn’t know her like he knew her. "I already fucking lost her once!" he shouted, tears forming in his eyes. "You’re not going to fucking take her away from me again!"

The street fell completely silent. No one dared speak. Peko looked down at the ground, muttering something to herself about how it was fine if they wanted to kill her, and that she understood, though Kuuryuu hoped no one but him had heard her. Tension drifted throughout the group. There was the occasional sound of one of the missing people killing a zombie, but that was it.

The boy gritted his teeth together. He couldn’t let them take her again. He needed to have her by his side, even if it had to be like this! “Please…” he whispered under his breath. “Just please…”

Hinata nodded. “I think it’s okay,” he told the others. “Let her stay.”

"B-But what if she turns against us?!" yelled Saionji. "She could kill us all if we let her in!"

"If she does that, then we’ll kill her instantly before anyone can get to her," Hinata decided. "We’ll have to watch her very closely."

A huge grin spread across Kuzuryuu’s face. “Thank you!” he yelled towards Hinata, before turning around to embrace his undead swordswoman. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he muttered into her shirt, pulling himself as tightly to her as she could.

After the battle finished, all of them returned to the hideout together, with Peko. Kuzuryuu held her hand the entire time, talking about how much he had missed her, while Peko told him stories of what had happened to her in the last few days.

The only problem now was if she lost her mind turned against them.

She never did.


	15. Prompt: Valentine's Day Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two separate anons sent me two separate requests: for a pre despair confession (from Peko), and for a pre despair Valentine's Day. So I went ahead and killed two birds with one stone here. Unbeated, as usual. I don't think there's any major trigger warnings for this chapter.

It had been a few years ago when Kuzuryuu first realized his crush on his swordswoman. He acknowledged both the fact that he had probably liked her for many years and that he still did. Since then, there had been many times that Kuzuryuu considering confessing to her. However, things were rather complicated between the two of them.

Peko was his bodyguard and his tool, meant to follow his every order and defend him until her last breath. Kuzuryuu was afraid that if he were to confess to her, she would reciprocate his feelings out of pure obligation to. There would be no way of him knowing whether or not she actually felt something for him, or if she was simply going along with his wishes because she had to. For that reason, Kuzuryuu had kept his feelings for her hidden. 

He hoped one day that Peko would confess to him herself. If she didn’t, then he was unsure if the relationship he longed to have with her would happen at all. It was all on her hands.

His dreams finally came true, however, one Valentine’s Day their second year at Hope’s Peak.

Peko paced back in forth in her dorm room, a drops of sweat running down her forehead. This had told herself that this year would be the year she would finally tell him how she felt about him. Of course, that didn’t mean much, because she had told that to herself every single year for the last five years, and never once did she end up confessing or giving him anything. Either way, she’d end up making chocolates every year, just to practice for when the year came where she’d actually end up telling him.

She eyed the chocolates she had made, which were wrapped up fairly simply in some cheap bag she had been given by some other girls in the class below. There were two girls in particular named Mahiru Koizumi and Ibuki Mioda who had been insistent on helping Peko with her crush. For what reason they were so interested in her personal feelings, she had no idea. Was that just what normal teenage girls were concerned about?

They had told her the chocolate she had made tasted wonderful. Of course, Peko herself hated sweets, so she had no way of knowing if they were just lying to make her feel better. Kuzuryuu had always loved sweets secretly, hadn’t he? Maybe he would like hers, too, even if they were bad.

Peko’s face flustered when she thought of him. She shouldn’t have feelings for her young master like this. If the family found out, they would never forgive her. After all, a tool was supposed to be someone who felt no emotion, especially not romantic ones, and again especially not towards their masters.

A part of her wondered if Kuzuryuu felt the same way towards her, but there would be no way of her knowing until she asked for herself. There was no chance he would confess to her. No, it had to be the other way around. Kuzuryuu was too nervous to say things like that, and there was a high chance he was thinking that she would simply try to reciprocate those feelings of his because she was a tool.

Would she really do that if that were the case? Possibly. But she loved him truly, so it didn’t matter either way. What mattered was that he was never going to confess for that reason, so it was left all up to her.

She gritted her teeth. Maybe this was a bad idea. Even if they were to reciprocate each other’s feelings, nothing could ever come up it. He was the heir and she was his tool, nothing more. They could not marry when they were older or anything like that. This whole relationship was doomed to end with both of them in despair from the very beginning.

She snatched up the chocolates. Ibuki and Koizumi had liked them, so maybe she’d give some to them. It would be a waste if she just threw them away.

Her mind made up, she opened the door to her dorm and walked out, clutching the bag in her hand. It didn’t take long for her to run into Koizumi and Ibuki, who were chatting to each other outside the musician’s dorm room.

"It’s Peko-chan!" cried Ibuki.

"Hello, Peko-chan," greeted Koizumi, smiling. "Are you off to give those chocolates to someone?"

Peko frowned. “No. I am here to offer them to you.”

Ibuki’s reaction was to look terribly shocked, and then her face changed to just being plain puzzled. “What? Ibuki is pleased by your kind offer, but cannot accept!”

Koizumi placed her hands on her hips, also looking confused. “Why? Is there no one you’re interested in?”

The swordswoman looked down at her feet. These two had been so helpful before, even being kind enough to offer to help make chocolates. Perhaps they would listen to her feelings if she were to tell them. She had always kept them hidden deep down inside of her because there was no one to tell, but now… These two were offering to help, and she felt as though telling someone would make her feel better.

A moment of bravery washed over her. “There is a boy…” she admitted quietly, blushing lightly.

"Ibuki knew it!" cried Ibuki, practically jumping up in the air. 

"But," Peko added on quickly, "our relationship can never happen. He and I are on completely different levels in this world. Our relationship would not be accepted."

The photographer frowned at her words. “I mean, I won’t pretend I know completely what you’re talking about… But even if you think it can’t happen, isn’t it worth it just to tell him and give it a try?” she suggested. “You can never know.”

"That’s wrong," Peko answered. "There is no way a relationship between us would be accepted."

"Even so," Koizumi continued, "I think there’s value in just giving him chocolates and telling him that you appreciate him. Even if it can never happen, at least you’ve told him that you do have feelings for him." The red head smiled at the swordswoman and gently reached out to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You put a lot of efforts in those chocolates, so I don’t want you see you back down now, okay?" she encouraged.

Something about her words seemed to make Peko stronger. Perhaps they could never be anything, but at least she could let him know what she wished for. Also, nothing bad could happen, right? In the worst case of him giving her a definite rejection, at least she would know that he didn’t harbor such intentions towards her, and that she could put her silly feelings to rest and move on.

"Thank you, Koizumi," responded Peko, gratitude in her voice. "Your words have made me feel a little better. I’ll give them to him."

Ibuki’s whole face lit up. “That’s the spirit!” she cried out. “Ooh, Ibuki’s going to have to write a song about this! It’ll be called ‘Even Though it Cannot Be, Have Some Chocolate!’ Or is that too long?”

Koizumi nodded firmly, smiling. “You’re welcome! Now you better catch him before it’s too late!”

Peko thanked the two of them once again before she briskly walked off to Kuzuryuu’s room, determined. She would tell him how she felt, and that was it. She just wanted him to know that she had feelings for him even if it couldn’t ever become anything, in the end.

Once she got to his room room, she rang the bell. She knew he would be there. After all, he would never be out celebrating and hanging at those silly Valentine’s Day parties people sometimes had in the cafeteria.

Kuzuryuu opened the door. Peko didn’t know what he was expecting, but the boy looked surprised when he saw her. “Peko?” he asked.

She took a deep breath, her heart pounding like never before. She just had to give them these chocolates, and that was it. Then, it would be over, and she could congratulate herself on finally telling him and moving on. It was simple, right? But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to start speaking, or to hand him the chocolates that she was now keeping behind her back. Instead, she ended up just standing there quietly, a huge blush on her face.

"P-Peko?" he stuttered.

Maybe she should just get it out quickly. That might be better than just standing here awkwardly, right? Peko took a deep breath. “Young Master!” she spoke, louder than she wanted to. “As a token of my affection, I have made you these! Please take them!” Peko thrust the bag of chocolate into her stunned young master’s hands. “I just wanted to let you know how I feel, even if it’s impossible! That’s all!” she spluttered. Without waiting for a response from him, she turned and walked away from the door, her heart pounding frantically and her cheeks heating to dangerous temperatures.

Of course, Kuzuryuu tried to run after her. “Wait, Peko!” cried the yakuza heir as he scrambled to catch up to her, but she didn’t obey his orders this time. She simply kept walking at a fast pace, blushing madly.

Kuzuryuu grabbed onto Peko’s hand, causing her to gasp in surprise and whip around to face him. Her face was a deep shade of red, and it took her less than a second to register the fact that his was, too.

"Did you really mean what you just said?" he asked her, looking directly into her eyes with his.

Peko became embarrassed by his gaze and looked away from him. “Yes,” she answered.

"Peko…" he whispered. "I…"

The swordswoman still refused to look at him. “I know that it is silly of me to harbor such feelings. I just thought you should know. I do not need to hear your rejection…”

"It’s not that at all!" Kuzuryuu blurted out instantly, shocked that she would suggest such a thing. "It’s just that I wanted to know if those were your true feelings towards me! You’re… you’re not just brining me some chocolate because you feel like you have to, since you think you’re my tool and that crap, right?" he asked her.

Peko shook her head. “No… I…” She searched her brain for the right words and also tried to find the courage to be honest with him. “I… I really like you because you’re you. Not because I’m your tool or any of that,” she admitted. “You’ve always been so kind to me, Young Master. I’ve always… admired you…” 

She closed her eyes and waited for the rejection that never came. Instead, she felt her young master’s hands on her shoulders, but before she could even question why or what he was doing, she felt him suddenly press his lips to hers. Now, she was definitely redder than she though was possible, excitement and confusion rising up within her. Before she could respond, however, Kuzuryuu broke off from her.

Peko opened her eyes and looked down at the boy, who was blushing madly and looking away. “That was my way of saying thank you!” he explained. “So thank you!”

The swordswoman smiled affectionately. “You’re welcome, Young Master.”


	16. Prompt: Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with a short head canon, and I wrote this about it. It's during despair!Kuzupeko time. I don't think this is a genuine headcanon that actually happened, but it's fun to play around with. I may actually write a part two to this, which would be post-despair.
> 
> Trigger Warnings: mentions of teenage pregnancy if that makes any of you uncomfortable.

Peko wasn’t quite sure what to do with the situation she found herself in. It had been about a year since the Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind, which she herself had taken part in. Along with the rest of the Super High School Level Despair, she remained in a rather large building that had become their headquarters and secret hideout. Though their work was mostly done, they continued to try to spread havoc and despair in the streets in whatever ways they could. 

Except now, their leader Junko wasn’t there. She was broadcasting the “School Life of Mutual Killing.” If there was any activity around the headquarters, it was that. Members would often gather around the television and watch the despair-inducing program, and that was about it.

Peko, on the other hand, was somewhat different. She did not interact very much with the other members of despair, aside from Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, who was formerly her young master. Now, the two of them were lovers. Even in despair, they held each other close and watched as the world burned, hand in hand. 

Everyone in the Super High School Level Despair thought they were sickeningly sweet, because they had become so open about their affection for each other, now that there were no more bounds. Before, his family would have objected to their relationship. But now that they had killed all of Kuzuryuu’s close relatives, there was nothing that could stop them.

They had started out with just kissing and hugging, but after the initial massacre at Hope’s Peak, their relationship quickly grew more… intimate. The two of them no longer cared about their family or rules or anything like that, so they just went at it with each other without a care in the world.

Unfortunately, that led to some consequences the two of them probably should have foreseen.

Peko sat in the room that she shared with Kuzuryuu, staring at the bundle in her arms. In a warm blanket rested a tiny baby girl that she herself had given birth to just yesterday. An emotionless look was set upon her face as she observed the small being carefully. 

The swordswoman had grown up without parents. When she was the same age as the child she now held, she had already been left in the streets to die. Though she was taken in by the Kuzuryuu family, they never gave her someone to look to as a parent. She was taken care of by various servants and other lower ranking members of the yakuza, so she had never developed a bond with someone that she could call her mother or father. 

In fact, Peko didn’t quite know what a mother was supposed to be like towards their child. She was very unsure of how she should go about taking care of her baby. After all, she was only eighteen, and she was currently working in a group that massacred humanity. She didn’t know much about child care, but obviously, it was not an ideal place to raise a child.

So all Peko did was hold the child and stare. Tsumiki had been of some help taking care of the child shortly after her birth, but now, she was left on her own to deal with it. Though the baby was sleeping now, surely before long, she would wake up. She had no idea what she would do with her then.

The door to the room creaked open, revealing her lover and the child’s father, Kuzuryuu. Peko instantly looked up from the child. He was looking rather bored and tired, she observed.

"Fuyuhiko," greeted Peko.

Kuzuryuu turned towards her. “Peko.” He approached her, gazing down at her and their baby, who was still sound asleep against her mother. 

"She is still sleeping," Peko explained. "Tsumiki has left to attend to other matters. The child is in our hands from now on." 

Kuzuryuu sighed, looking down at the tiny bundle, a conflicted look on his face. “I see…” he mumbled. “Then I guess we’ll just have to be parents…”

Perhaps they should have been more careful. Looking back, the two of them had been very careless when it came to intimate moments. Neither of them had thought of the possible consequences of their irresponsible behavior, and now, they had to face them. When Peko had first discovered that she had become pregnant, she panicked a little. Even though she was known for her calm and collected behavior, even she had been thrown off and startled by this discovery. Kuzuryuu reacted much the same way.

Since the two of them just didn’t know what to do about the situation, they ended up doing absolutely nothing about it. Peko and Kuzuryuu continued their usual daily chores, including going out onto the streets and massacring people. Kuzuryuu had grown more and more concerned about her condition the more time went by, but Peko continued with her tasks regardless. To her, it was only a slight hindrance.

But now that the child was actually here and required attention, it had become an entirely different problem. How were Peko and Kuzuryuu to go about their despair-induced life when they had a baby to take care of?

Suddenly, the baby’s eyes opened, and the instant they did, she began to wail loudly. Peko starred at the bundle, confused. What were mothers supposed to do to get their children to stop crying? When she was little, there was never any mother there to do anything to stop her cries.

Peko held the child closer to her, hoping it would do something to ease her, but the child still continued to cry out. She looked up to Kuzuryuu for help.

"Let me have her," Kuzuryuu said.

The screaming baby was placed into the hands of her father. Kuzuryuu began to rock the child gently back and forth, holding her close to him. After a while, she seemed to calm down and fall back to sleep.

Peko blinked at the sight before her. Kuzuryuu had a little sister and he had grown up with actual parents, so it was only natural he was better with their child than she was. She barely even knew what to do. 

Kuzuryuu handed the baby back to Peko, who took her and stared at her curiously.

"I’m going to go watch the TV. Some of us are speculating another murder may happen soon enough," he told her.

Peko nodded. “Okay. Let me know.”

With that, the yakuza heir left the room, leaving Peko behind to stare and wonder at the child in her arms. She had no experience with children and no idea how children should be raised. 

She didn’t necessarily want to have this child. Perhaps they should have been more careful, because then they would have never ended up in this kind of situation. There was no going back now, and no way out of this. 

Peko wondered if her mother hadn’t wanted her, either. Perhaps that’s why she left her in a street, alone, crying out helplessly. Is that what mothers were supposed to do when they didn’t want a child? 

She stood up, holding the child close to her. Perhaps there was a solution to all of this. Peko walked out of the room and slipped by the others, who were all deep in conversation as they watched the School Life of Mutual Killing on the television. None of them even noticed that she had left. She walked onto the wrecked streets outside and began to wander about. This whole area was abandoned, but she had a place in mind…

She walked for about thirty minutes before she reached where she wanted to. It was a long, narrow, abandoned alleyway, filled up with trash here and there. This was the place where a yakuza man apparently had found her when she was a baby. Peko stepped into the street and looked about.

There was a medium sized cardboard box by a dumpster, completely empty. That looked like a good place to her. Peko approached the box and slowly placed her baby down inside of it, gently enough so that she didn’t disturb her slumber. The swordswoman then stepped back and observed her work. This was the only way she knew how to treat a child, because it was the only real treatment she had gotten from her parents. This was the only solution she found.

Perhaps Kuzuryuu would be upset with her, but this was for the better. Peko gave one last look to her child before she turned away from her and left. As she left the alleyway, she heard her child crying for her, but she ignored her.

This was how things were supposed to be.


	17. Prompt: Child P2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a sequel to the last fic, requested by some anons. This takes place post despair. Obviously, there are SDR2 spoilers. Unbetaed as usual
> 
> Again, like the previous one, it contains mentions of teen pregnancy and such.

"Well, this is it," Naegi told them. "The Future Foundation Headquarters."

Peko observed the inside of the rather large building she just went into. It was nothing too extravagant, clearly because they were focused on more important things then how their lobby looked. There was a front desk with a receptionist who had their head in their computer, apparently doing some important work judging by how fast they were typing. in addition, there were stairs and two elevators leading to the upstairs room, as well as an old fountain in the center. It had broken a long time ago Peko assumed, and no one had bothered to fix it. It looked rather messy sitting there in the middle like that. That aside, there was nothing notable.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Togami asked Naegi. "Those other members wanted them dead."

Naegi nodded. “I’m aware, but I’ve been in contact with some of them. It should be fine!” he assured the heir with a grin on his face. “They seem eager to meet all of them, if anything.”

Peko looked towards her young master Kuzuryuu, who wore an apprehensive look on his face. Perhaps he was worried that the members of the Future Foundation would treat him like filth because of their previous links to Super High School Level Despair. Of course, Peko and Kuzuryuu had no idea what had happened in those years that they were in despair. There was no way to know, and the Future Foundation refused to give many details. All they had told them was that the Kuzuryuu family had been greatly decimated. Kuzuryuu and Peko both assumed that they were the ones responsible for that.

Still, Kuzuryuu wondered. Had Peko stuck by his side in their times of despair, or had she abandoned him?

There was no way they’d ever know.

"Come on. Let’s show them to where they’ll be staying for now," said Kirigiri.

All of the former despair students were led into the elevator and up to the seventh floor, where they were assigned dorm rooms. They were to stay here while they were waiting to find out information about their family, like if they were alive or not. More than likely, most of them had been lost. If that was the case, then most people didn’t have homes anymore. The Future Foundation would serve as their home until they could get one of their own.

Kuzuryuu sighed as he collapsed into the bed in his own room. It wasn’t a very big room, just containing a bed, wardrobes for clothing, a comfy chair and miniature coffee table, and a bathroom. There were a few pictures hanging on the wall depicting beautiful forests and beaches. It was a shame that so few of those existed now, for real.

There was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” Kuzuryuu asked.

"It’s me, Young Master," Peko’s voice spoke up. "May I enter?"

"Of course!" Kuzuryuu responded as he pulled himself to sit up on his bed.

The door creaked open, revealing his swordswoman. She sat herself down in the chair, which she turned so that she could face Kuzuryuu directly. She wore her usual stern, emotionless face, which told nothing about what she was currently thinking.

"Young Master…" she stared.

"Fuyuhiko," corrected Kuzuryuu. "Call me Fuyuhiko."

Peko shook her head. “I… cannot do such a thing.”

Kuzuryuu sighed. He was hoping that she would now give up the whole young master thing now that there was no Kuzuryuu group, but she still insisting on it, for some reason. Though they two of them had gotten much closer to each other since her awakening, things were still sort of awkward between them. They had shared several kisses with each other, but nothing official had been established, and Peko would always shy away from the topic.

"How are you doing, Young Master?" Peko asked him.

"Fine. Just adjusting to this all, you know," he mumbled.

Peko nodded. “Good. I was worried about you. You seemed displeased when we entered the building.”

"I was just thinking about some things," he explained to her. He had been worried about the whole despair thing at that time, but he didn’t want Peko to know that. She would just feet more concerned for him, and she didn’t need to be.

She didn’t question him further. “I see. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Young Master.” She stood up from her chair, intending to leave.

"Wait, Peko!" Kuzuryuu called to her.

Peko turned around. “Yes, Young Master?”

"You know, you really don’t have to call me that anymore," he told her for the hundredth time. "But I mean it, really. You’re not my tool anymore. We’re so much more than that, now…" he reminded her. She knew he was trying to bring up the few times that they had kissed each other, and her whole face flustered red.

"I-I…!" It was as if she was frozen. "I-I must go!" With that, she turned around and bolted out of the door as fast as she could.

Kuzuryuu sighed. He would never get Peko to talk to him about their relationship. Maybe he was taking things too fast… Perhaps he should give her some time?

Shortly after her departure, there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” he asked, wondering if Peko had perhaps decided to come back to discuss their situation properly.

"I’m a member of the Future Foundation," and unfamiliar voice called out from behind the door. "I need to speak with you."

Kuzuryuu blinked. Someone here, to speak with him? What were they going to do to him? He was slightly nervous, but he flopped out of his bed to open the door. Behind it was a young woman, who appeared to be a scientist judging by the long lab coat she wore. Her bright red hair was tied into the messiest ponytail he had ever seen, and her clothes and lab coat had been stained with substances Kuzuryuu didn’t want to even guess the identity of. She carried a file with her, containing tons of papers sticking out here and there. Clearly, she had not done such a great job of organizing them. 

"Let’s see…" She muttered to herself as she opened the file and flipped through pages. "You are Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, correct?"

The yakuza heir nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”

"Good!" She didn’t say anything else and just continued to scan through her papers.

Feeling a little awkward, Kuzuryuu spoke up. “Who are you?” he asked.

"Oh, I’m a genealogist," she replied, not looking up from her files. "I used to go to Hope’s Peak a long time ago, but I graduated and all that stuff. Just here to do some work the Future Foundation requested." She finally seemed to find the paper she was looking for, and she pulled it right out and smiled. "Aha! I gotcha!" she declared.

Kuzuryuu blinked, confused by the reason why this woman was looking for him in the first place. “What does a genealogist want with me?” he demanded, slightly worried that she was some mad scientist or something that was going to try to harm him. He had no idea what she would do, but he knew that some members of the Future Foundation were not too happy with the new members having previously been in despair.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Well, I had something interesting to share with you, but if you’re going to be rude about it…” she mumbled to herself.

"No! Never mind, what is it?" asked Kuzuryuu, now genuinely very curious.

She scanned her eyes down the paper she was holding. “I’m a genealogist,” she explained, causing Kuzuryuu to mentally roll his eyes. She had said that already. “I’ve been doing work identifying people we find.”

"People you find? What is that supposed to mean?" he grumbled.

"You know, like lost children, dead bodies…" she said completely casually. "There are a bunch of missing people, you know. Family looking for family, stuff like that."

Ah, that made a lot more sense now. “So, you’re here to help me find the remains of my family.” Now that was something he actually was interested in. After all, it was his job to rebuild it as much as he could. 

The genealogist shook her head. “Well, not quite.” She paused to flip the sheet of paper she was looking at over and take a good look at it. “I mean, we do have a close match with your DNA here…”

Kuzuryuu’s heart froze for a second. What? He had some close relatives that were still alive? He had been told that they were all killed! “What? Who! Tell me!” he demanded, clenching his fist to control his anticipation. 

She scratched the back of her head. “That’s the complicated part…”

"What’s so fucking complicated about it? Just tell me who’s alive already!" the yakuza heir yelled, beginning to lose all of his patience.

The genealogist sighed, shrugging. “Man, you’re getting pretty pissed over this. Whatever, I think it’d be better for me to show you than try to explain it…” Without much indication, she turned around and began to walk towards the elevator and jammed the button. When she realized Kuzuryuu wasn’t following her, she looked confused. “Why aren’t you coming?”

Kuzuryuu grumbled something about how she should have said she was going somewhere with him before he followed her. They waited for the elevator, and then boarded it when it came. She pressed the button for the tenth floor.

After a short wait, they arrived at the tenth floor. It was what appeared to be a mix of a hospital and a science laboratory, with some rooms they passed by being labeled as wards containing patients and others labeled as a lab. The genealogist led him down the white hallways, which were pretty much empty save for them. It almost felt like there was no life at all.

The genealogist paused to look at her file very briefly, and then walked towards a room not too far away from the very end of the hallway. Outside the door stood Naegi and Kirigiri, who were both chatting with each other. When they noticed that Kuzuryuu and the genealogist had approached, they quickly ceased their conversation.

"Kuzuryuu-kun," Kirigiri acknowledged. After that, she switched her focus to the genealogist. "Good, you brought him here. Did you bring her as well?"

Kuzuryuu didn’t have time to ask who they were referring to. “No, I wanted to talk with just him first.”

Kirigiri nodded. “Fair enough.”

Naegi turned his attention towards the yakuza heir. “Kuzuryuu-kun, there’s something we need to show you. It’s very important and it might be a little shocking…” He looked a little bit worried, as if the information might unsettle the boy. 

"What is it? Tell me already!" demanded an impatient Kuzuryuu, a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. If it was so important, then why wouldn’t they just tell him? He was beginning to get more and more nervous about what they had to share with him. It was something about his family, right? What news did they discover, and what about it was so disturbing?

Kirigiri glanced to Naegi, then towards the genealogist, and nodded. “Very well.”

Naegi looked hesitant, but he reached for the door to the room they had been standing in front of, and all four of them walked inside.

The room he entered was a rather shocking sight. There was a wall that had a giant window embedded within it dividing the room. There were only a few chairs and a comfy couch on the side he was on, but on the other side, he could see cribs, which quite obviously had to contain babies, even though he couldn’t quite see into them. He blinked in confusion.

"Why the hell are we in a room full of babies?" he questioned. "I don’t have any damn baby siblings or cousins or anything!"

Kirigiri sighed. “I know you don’t,” she told him softly.

The genealogist approached the door leading to the other side of the room and pushed through it, though Kuzuryuu did not follow her. He was too occupied with trying to figure out why they would take him to a room like this in the first place. Kirigiri and Naegi exchanged unsure glances. Naegi looked at Kuzuryuu with a worried expression out of the corner of his eye, but he said nothing to him. 

Kuzuryuu felt a lump of lead grow in his throat. He was absolutely terrified and horribly confused at this point, and didn’t know what to think.

About a minute later, the genealogist came out, carrying in her arms a baby that looked to be around eight months old, as far as Kuzuryuu could tell. The baby was dressed in pink footie pajamas, indicating that it was probably a girl. She had a good amount of blonde hair growing on the top of her head, but besides that, there was little ways to distinguish her from any other baby. Confusion continued to swell up within him. What the hell was going on? Who was this child?

The genealogist approached Kuzuryuu and showed him the child, but said nothing.

"What the hell?" he cursed. "What does this kid have to do with me? Someone just explain it already!"

Kirigiri and Naegi looked to each other. Naegi seemed to be rather uncomfortable, so Kirigiri decided to start explaining.

"We think-" she started.

"We know,” insisted the genealogist.

Kirigiri nodded. “Yes, we know that this baby…” She paused for a moment. Though she did not display outward signs of being uneasy, it was likely that she was. “Well, it’s yours,” she ended bluntly.

Her words hit Kuzuryuu like a truck. “Excuse me?” he spoke with disbelief in his voice. 

"She’s your daughter," rephrased Kirigiri.

That just seemed to raise more questions than answers for Kuzuryuu. For one thing, there was no way he had a child. He was only around nineteen years old at this point, and he would know if he had fathered a kid. Besides, he had never been in a relationship like that with anyone before, or even done anything with anyone.

Kuzuryuu glanced at the baby, his heart beating unsteadily. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? I don’t have a fucking child!”

Kirigiri sighed and Naegi fidgeted uncomfortably. “Kuzuryuu-kun,” Naegi addressed. “I know that this is hard for you to accept, but…”

What was this crap he was giving him? “Hard for me to accept?” repeated Kuzuryuu. “What the hell are you even saying? I’ve never done anything like that with anyone!” he insisted. “There’s no way that I could be a father to some child…!”

The genealogist coughed. “You might say that, but I assure you that I’ve analyzed her DNA enough to confirm that she’s your child,” she informed the boy. “So it’s pretty obvious that she is, isn’t it? I have the sheet you can look at here, if you don’t want to believe me.”

She stuck out a piece of paper, which Kuzuryuu snatched up. He scanned his eyes up and down the data, and while he wasn’t the best at biology, the information there was enough to confirm the claims the others had been making. This baby was his.

"No way…" he whispered. "There’s no way.. something like this…" His heart felt like it had turned to stone. He wanted to deny it, but now that there was evidence in front of him, he realized how very possible it was. He had no memory of what happened to him during high school and his days in despair, so it was completely probable thatp he had impregnated someone during that time.

Naegi sighed. “I’m sorry, Kuzuryuu-kun, but…”

Kuzuryuu’s head began to hurt. All he wanted now was answers. If this really was his child, then he wanted to know the exact circumstances behind her birth and how the Future Foundation had come to obtain her. “Please… explain things for me…” he asked of them, his voice full of desperation.

The genealogist nodded. “Of course.” The baby she held was looking around the room curiously, but made no noise. The sight of her made Kuzuryuu uneasy, knowing what his connection to her was. _She’s my… my… daughter…_

"As I said before, there is no doubt that this baby is yours," the genealogist explained. "We don’t have an exact birth date, but it’s safe to say that she’s eight months old at this point. At the time we obtained her, she was a newborn, about a day to a week old."

"However, this was during the time Kirigiri-san and I were locked in Hope’s Peak, so we only met her after she had been taken," Naegi added on.

Kuzuryuu blinked. “How did you obtain her, exactly?” he questioned. If she was only eight months old, then the child was most certainly born during his days of being in Super High School Level Despair. So how did the Future Foundation get her?

"That’s an interesting story!" the genealogist exclaimed. "Actually, we found her."

"You found her?” repeated Kuzuryuu.

She nodded. “Yup. I wasn’t the one who found her, so I wouldn’t know the exact story, but one of our members was scouting the streets out, and she found her on an empty alley,” the genealogist elaborated. “It looked like she was intentionally abandoned there. She had been left in a cardboard box.”

Hold on a second. Something wasn’t right about this. Kuzuryuu had heard this story many times before. “Wait a moment, but that sounds like what happened to Peko!”

Kirigiri looked interested. “Peko Pekoyama? Please elaborate on that a little more for me.”

Kuzuryuu didn’t usually talk about his relationship to Peko and often tried to hide it, but it looked like he had little choice here. “Peko’s my swordswoman and bodyguard the Kuzuryuu group gave to me… They found her as a baby in an alleyway. Her real parents had just left her there to die,” he explained.

"Aha!" exclaimed the genealogist out of nowhere, a grin on her face. "That’s all I needed to know! It all makes sense now!" She turned towards Kirigiri. "Kirigiri, would you be willing to bring Pekoyama here?"

Kirigiri nodded. “Of course.” With that, the girl left the room.

The genealogist smiled. “That was the information I was looking for before I brought her in here.” Then, she eyed the baby girl in her arms. “Everything makes sense now, huh?”

She may have known everything, but Kuzuryuu was still completely lost. “What are you on about now? What makes sense? What about Peko did you want to know?”

"Ah, yes. That’s because Pekoyama’s the baby’s mother," she told him so casually it made his heart nearly stop.

"WHAT?" he blurted out. "P-Peko?"

She nodded firmly. “Mhm! This little girl here is the baby of you and Pekoyama. I wanted to know if you two had any relationship before coming here, and it explains why you two left her on the street.” The genealogist said these words so casually, it was as if she didn’t even realize the impact they had.

Kuzuryuu could barely think or speak. His heart was racing, and he could only think of what he had just been told. Peko was the mother. He was the father. The baby was theirs. Peko and him… had a baby girl together…? And then they had left her on the street?

The genealogist handed him a sheet of paper, which he snatched up. “In case you didn’t believe me,” she explained. Kuzuryuu’s eyes scanned up and down the sheet. It was another analysis of the baby’s DNA, which clearly supported the claim she had been making. The DNA matched Peko and also matched up with him. It was undeniable proof.

"I…" he choked out. His eyes darted towards the baby. She didn’t look much like Peko at all. The child had his hair, but that was the only identifiable thing he could find, and there was no trace of his swordswoman on her.

Naegi looked sympathetically at him. Kuzuryuu didn’t know what to make of his expression.

A few minutes later, Kirigiri returned with Peko trailing behind her. Kuzuryuu could barely look at his swordswoman. He felt incredibly nervous around her, knowing the new information. Peko and him had a baby together when they were in despair, so that must mean at some point, the two of them had.. Kuzuryuu flushed pure red. As Peko approached him, he inched away from her, embarrassed.

Peko glanced at Kuzuryuu. “Young Master? Are you all right?” she asked. When he didn’t respond, she decided to glance around the room and at the other people inside. Setting her eyes upon the child, she blinked in confusion. “What is that?” she asked.

"A baby, of course!" the genealogist cried. "What, does it look like a potato?"

Peko stiffened up a bit, frowning. “No, that’s not what I meant. Why is it here?”

Naegi gave her another uneasy look. How would she react to this? “She is a baby the Future Foundation rescued from the street a few months ago,” he explained cautiously. “She was… abandoned…”

"Rescued? Abandoned?" repeated Peko. "As was I. Is that the reason why you brought me here, because our circumstances are similar?" She crossed her arms, frowning a little. "I’m sorry, but I don’t know this child. Even though she may have been abandoned as I was, we have no connection."

"That’s wrong," Kirigiri replied.

Now, the swordswoman couldn’t hide the confused glint in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

The genealogist was as blunt as ever. “That’s your child.”

Peko blinked, her face contorting in confusion. “I don’t have a child,” she replied.

"She was born during your time in Super High School Level Despair," Naegi explained to her gently. "You just don’t remember."

Now, she was incredibly perplexed. Glancing at the child in the genealogist’s arms, she studied her closely. “She doesn’t look like my child…” Peko concluded.

The genealogist was visibly irritated. “Yeah, but I have evidence right here. Kuzuryuu, give her the sheet,” she ordered the boy.

Kuzuryuu held the sheet out to her with a trembling hand. Peko took it and scanned it up and down, her eyebrows furrowing. She looked once more at the child. “It’s really mine, then…” she breathed. “In that case… I must have been the one who left it… but who is her-…”

Her heart seemed to stop. She darted her gaze over the paper again, frantically reading the information. The more she read, the wider her eyes grew, showing more and more bewilderment.

She dropped the paper. “I..” She couldn’t say anything, she simply turned to look at Kuzuryuu, her mouth hanging open as the realization took over her. “Y-Young Master…” she stuttered out.

"Ah, so you noticed?" the genealogist said. "Yeah, Kuzuryuu here is the father! That’s why I brought you two out here. To meet your child."

Kuzuryuu was worried about what Peko would do next. How was she supposed to take this news? Peko’s breathing was unsteady, and her whole stature was trembling. It was unlike her usual, confident self. Slowly, she approached the genealogist and the baby.

"Can I…" She hesitated. "Can I… hold her?"

That wasn’t what Kuzuryuu was expecting. Kirigiri and Naegi weren’t anticipating it either, judging by their expressions. However, the genealogist didn’t seem to think the same thing. “Sure!”

Peko’s hands reached for the baby, and gently pried her from the arms of the scientist. Carefully, she held the baby to her chest, though her arms were still trembling. The baby looked up into the eyes of her mother curiously. Peko said nothing and stared back.

It was silent for a good minute and no one moved. Everyone just watched Peko gazed at her baby. 

"We should give them some space," Kirigiri suggested, looking towards Naegi and the genealogist. "I think they need to think for a bit."

They both nodded in agreement and left the room, leaving behind Kuzuryuu, Peko, and their baby girl. The swordswoman walked over towards the couch and sat herself down carefully, still holding onto the baby tightly. Feeling awkward, Kuzuryuu decided that he should take a seat next to her. He was flustered and nervous, but he managed to sit next to her, but made sure to keep a far enough distance from her body.

Peko just stared and stared without a word. Kuzuryuu watched her. What was she thinking right now?

The silence was getting to be too much, so Kuzuryuu decided to initiate conversation. “Peko-“

However, Peko cut him off there. “Forgive me, Young Master. I was just wondering if she remembers me at all,” she whispered, gazing into her daughter’s green eyes. “I know that she was much too young to really remember me, but perhaps there’s a part of her that knows subconsciously who I am to her…” Her voice was unsteady and full of worry.

"I… I wouldn’t worry about that…" Kuzuryuu told her gently. "It’s fine, I’m sure…"

"But it’s not!" Peko snapped back at him with such intensity that the boy nearly jumped out of his seat. She seemed to realize how harsh she had been, and instantly looked guilty. "I’m sorry," she whispered, holding the child tighter to her. "I don’t know what came over me just then."

"It’s all right," Kuzuryuu reassured her. "Just tell me what you’re thinking…" This situation they found themselves in was overwhelming, and it felt unreal. Even though she was good at being emotionless, Peko had to have had some very strong feelings judging by her reaction to his previous words.

Peko looked down at the baby. “All this is so unbelievable,” she murmured. “I sometimes wondered myself about what happened during my days in despair, but this… this is something I never would have guessed.” She then turned her attention towards the tiles on the floor, avoiding eye contact. “To think that you and I, Young Master, would have had a child…”

Even hearing those words now felt unreal. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We have a daughter…” He tried saying it to try and make it a little more real, but it just made it seem so much more unbelievable. 

Peko continued to look into her daughter’s eyes, worry in her own. “If she could really remember, then…” She clenched her teeth together. “I did something terrible to her… Young Master… I left our own daughter to die…”

With those words, Kuzuryuu began to understand what was upsetting her so much. Sure, the revelation that they had a daughter was horribly shocking, but Peko was hurt over the fact that she had abandoned their child. The life that she had been forced into by her abandonment was awful, and she had been emotionally abused for her entire life. To leave her child was to be putting her through the same thing.

"Peko…" whispered Kuzuryuu.

The swordswoman held her child close, and Kuzuryuu noticed the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I guess it’s just wrong for someone like me to be a mother,” she spoke, her voice cracking up with the tears that she would soon spill. 

Kuzuryuu moved closer towards her and gently wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay…” he whispered to her. “We weren’t even ourselves… So it’s not fair to blame yourself.” His fingers went to her cheek to gently brush away her tears.

"But what am I supposed to do now, Young Master?" sobbed Peko. The baby was beginning to squirm a little in her mother’s arms, confused and upset. "I can’t raise a child! I don’t know how to act like a mother! How can I take care of her? What do I do?"

He completely understood where she was coming from. After all, he didn’t quite know what he was going to do, either. They were only nineteen, after all. They didn’t even remember Peko being pregnant with her, or when she gave birth to her. Heck, they didn’t even remember when she had been conceived! Kuzuryuu hugged Peko a little tighter, trying to soothe her, but his he was unsure if his trembling arms could help her.

"Peko," he addressed her affectionately. "I… I don’t know what we’ll do either, but no matter what, I’ll help out!" he declared to her. "She is my child as much as she is yours, so she’s my responsibility, too. I know you don’t know how to mother a baby, and I promise I won’t blame you for anything you do wrong, all right?"

She blinked in surprise. “Young Master…” she whispered. The baby continued to squirm against her mother, but did not make a sound. “But… I already messed up. I left our child to die.”

He shook his head. “No you didn’t. That wasn’t really you, Peko,” he reassured her. “Besides, it’s all right, isn’t it? She was found and she’s alive. That’s all that matters now.” Kuzuryuu glanced towards the baby in his swordswoman’s arms and watched her. He still could hardly believe that in her arms was their own child. _They had a child._

With his words, Peko smiled just a little bit. “Young Master, you’re so kind… I do not deserve it… I’m just a tool, after all.”

Kuzuryuu was taken aback by her words. Was she still going to go on about this, even now? “No!” he snapped, startling her. “You’re not a tool anymore, Peko! You’re my… equal, now.” He didn’t quite know how to describe their relationship… They had kissed a few times, and obviously had some sort of sexual relationship with her during their days of despair, plus they now had a child. “I’m the head of our family now, so no one can tell you otherwise!”

"Our… family?" repeated Peko, disbelief in her voice.

Kuzuryuu flustered completely red when he realized what he had said and the implications of those words. He opened his mouth to correct himself, but then he realized he had no reason to deny it. “Y-Yes…” he mumbled, blushing. “I mean, we have a daughter, don’t we? So that makes us family!”

Peko too turned scarlet. “Are you… are you asking me to marry you, Young Master?” she asked.

"I mean, well… yeah…" he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But only if you want to. I mean…"

The swordswoman looked down at the child she held. “I… I would be honored to be your wife, Young Master…” she whispered, her face still covered in a blush.

"Then it’s decided!" he proclaimed rather loudly. "Peko Pekoyama, we’re going to get married at some point!" His heart pounded in his chest nervously, realizing the magnitude of what they had just decided. "B-But Peko, just tell me one thing first. Do you want to marry me because you feel obligated to, since we have a daughter, or do want to marry me because you…" He couldn’t quite get those last words out. "You, well…"

Peko turned her face towards the wall in order to hide it from him. “I…” she mumbled. She began to shift around nervously in her seat. “It’s because I love you, Young Master…” she admitted. 

It felt like all the joy in the world had come rushing towards him, and he couldn’t help but grin. “I love you too!” he shouted back with such volume he wondered if the people outside could hear. “I always have wanted to marry you, ever since we were kids!”

Peko was stunned. “Young Master…” she whispered.

"No, not Young Master anymore. Please call me Fuyuhiko," he requested.

"F-Fuyuhiko?" she repeated, nervous.

The sound of her voice saying his first name made his heart leap with joy. He had always wondered what it would sound like. He nodded. “Yes, Peko.”

Peko smiled warmly at him, and then turned her attention towards the baby in her arms, who had calmed down a little bit, but was wide awake and alert. She shifted the child to hold her in one hand, and then reached with her now free fingers to gently feel the baby’s small blonde locks. “So soft…” she whispered, running her fingers through the strands. “Her hair is so soft…”

Kuzuryuu grinned, finding the sight adorable. “Yeah, and she’s got my hair color, too,” he added.

Watching his swordswoman with their child suddenly made him have the urge to hold the baby himself. “C-Can I hold her, Peko?” he asked her.

Peko nodded and handed the baby to Kuzuryuu, who promptly held her tightly to his chest and looked down at her. The baby stared up at her father with round, green, curious eyes. 

"Hello," he spoke softly. "I’m your dad. And that over there is your mom…"

She didn’t understand, of course, and just continued to stare at him curiously.

It was then that the Future Foundation members decided to come in, interrupting their moment. Kuzuryuu and Peko looked away from the baby to gaze at them.

"So, what are you thinking?" Kirigiri asked them.

"We… we want to raise her," Kuzuryuu told them. 

Naegi blinked in surprise. “Really?”

Peko nodded. “I am in debt to her. While I am no good at being a mother, I will try my best. Together, I’m sure it will be okay,” she said.

Naegi smiled at that response. “That’s a relief. Some were sure you would try to get rid of her again,” he informed them.

Kuzuryuu shook his head. “No. Not again.” He paused for a moment. “By the way, does she have a name?”

The genealogist frowned. “No. We don’t name babies that come here. We just wait for their parents,” she explained. “You’re free to name her whatever you want!”

He grinned. “Okay.” Then, Kuzuryuu glanced towards his swordswoman, and now, his lover. “Peko, I have a name in mind. Do you mind…?”

She shook her head. “I am fine with whatever name you wish to give her, Fuyuhiko.”

"Good, then it’s decided. She’s going to be named Natsuko. Natsuko Kuzuryuu," Kuzuryuu declared rather loudly, as if he wanted the whole world to hear the name he had decided to give his daughter.

Natsuko Kuzuryuu had been the name of his younger sister. He had discovered that she had been murdered during the years he didn’t remember. He had been very close to her, and her death had lead him into despair.

"I’m sure she would be happy to hear that, Fuyuhiko," Peko replied, agreeing with the name choice.

Kuzuryuu nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, smiling down at his baby girl. “I’m sure she would.”

That was the start of Kuzuryuu and Peko’s new life at the Future Foundation, and the beginning of a new Kuzuryuu family.


	18. Prompt: Non-Despair Future Fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had been discussing the fact that Kuzuryuu and Peko's relationship would not work out in a non-despair AU because of their circumstances, and that in fact they would probably end up being much happier in canon. So I decided to write a small fic about it.
> 
> Angst. Also, there will probably be a happier part two.

It didn’t matter how many women his parents would have him meet. No matter what, there was no way he was going to marry any of them offered to him. Now that Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu had reached his mid twenties, it had become a priority to find him a wife so that he could continue on the Kuzuryuu Group’s legacy. So far, his parents had brought him all kinds of women: women who were strong, women who were beautiful, women who were both… but he had turned them all down, much to his parent’s frustration.

"I don’t know what your problem is, son," Father Kuzuryuu and boss of the family had grunted. "But we’ve given you only the best options and you’ve gone and turned them all down."

He had hung his head and shame and muttered a quick apology before deciding to return to his room. Yes, the women who had been offered to him were of top quality yakuza material, but none of them were what he wanted. 

There was only one thing he wanted, and that was…

"Young Master," Peko greeted him as he was about to walk into his room.

Kuzuryuu lit up at the sight of his swordswoman. Now that they were older, the two of them were about the same height. Peko’s silver hair had grown longer, and her red eyes gleamed with maturity. She was absolutely gorgeous. “Peko!” he cried to her, smiling widely.

"You looked down before I spoke, is something wrong?" she asked him.

Kuzuryuu hesitated. Peko was probably the last person he wanted to talk to about his marriage issues, seeing as she was the direct cause of them. Yes, the only person he wanted to marry was his swordswoman, and it could never be. She was his tool, his bodyguard. She wasn’t supposed to be his wife.

"We need to talk," he spoke firmly.

Peko’s eyes visibly widened, but then she just nodded. “All right, Young Master Fuyuhiko.”

The two of them walked into his room, Kuzuryuu fidgeting nervously all the way. During their last year of school, the two of them had a romantic relationship, though it was never anything official. They kept it between themselves, silently showing their affection for each other away from the eyes of others. However, their relationship was forced to end when they returned to the Kuzuryuu household. Neither of them even officially called it off, it just ended like that, with neither of them speaking a word to each other. They both knew they could not maintain their relationship in his family’s house, and they did not need to communicate verbally to come to that understanding.

"Peko…" he uttered out after a while.

Peko turned to face him. “Young Master?”

It pained him to hear her call him that. During their brief romance, Peko had stopped using “young master” all together, switching to using his real first name. Hearing her speak her name like that had made his heart flutter.

"Please… Don’t call me that…" he whispered.

Peko’s eyes flashed with realization and her heart sunk to the bottom of her chest as she recalled those days she had spent with him during their last year of school. It was just as heartbreaking to her as it was for him. “I can’t anymore, Young Master…” she whispered back, her heart feeling like it was about to crumble.

Those words alone were enough to bring tears to his eyes, but he nodded despite that. The two of them stood in silence for a while longer, remembering the intimate moments they had shared together mournfully.

"I…" he coughed out, not knowing how to express his feelings to her. "I… I have to get married… Peko…"

"I know…" she replied, her pained voice just barely audible. 

"My father and mother… they’ve introduced me to all these women…" he explained to her, clenching his fists as he remembered their offers to him. "But I… I don’t want to marry any of them, Peko. My parents are beginning to get a little frustrated…"

Peko shot him a tortured look. It broke Kuzuryuu’s heart to see her in just as much pain.

"Truth is, Peko, I’m going to have to choose someone soon! B-But…" He could barely talk now that his voice was beginning to crack up with the threat of oncoming tears. "B-But it can’t be you, Peko!"

With those words, he broke down into open sobs. His arms lunged for Peko and he held himself to her closely, feeling her warmth. Perhaps her embrace should have been comforting, but it was only a bitter reminder of what they could never have. His tears fell onto her shoulder as he burred his face into it, muffling his loud cries. Peko’s arms cradled him tightly and her glasses began to fog up with her own tears, but she held back any loud cries she had. She was always the best at hiding her emotions when it was needed.

"Why, Peko?" he cried out. "Why can’t I marry you? Just because my parents say that you’re a tool and all that shit! You’re the only one I want…!"

"Fuyuhiko," she whispered as she held him tighter, her tears slipping down onto him. "I wish I could be your wife too…" she admitted. "There’s nothing I want more in the world."

They just stood there, holding each other, remembering what had happened between them and thinking about what they could have been if it weren’t for the Kuzuryuu family. In the future, he would end up marrying a woman he didn’t really love and she would forever stay as his bodyguard, standing by his side until the very end. He could never love her in the way he wanted to.

There was no more hope left.


	19. Prompt: Non-Despair Future Fic P2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part two of the previous fic. It's unbetaed, as usual.
> 
> I ended up having to cut this chapter again, so there will be a part three. I'm really sorry! I didn't anticipate this happening at all.
> 
> And Kuzu's wife's name is just something I came up with randomly so yeah.
> 
> This chapter contains mentions of sex, but nothing explicit. Sorry.

The woman Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu ended up marrying was named Haruka Satou. She was a young woman the same age as him, and she was the daughter of one of his father’s yakuza friends. She was a kind young woman who was surprisingly cheerful for a member of the yakuza, and was very happy to accept Kuzuryuu’s hand in marriage. The two of them were married only a few months after he had decided on her.

On their wedding night, Kuzuryuu cried into his pillow. It was not his new wife he thought about, but his swordswoman, Peko Pekoyama. He had seen her shed a tear as she briskly left the reception after Kuzuryuu and Haruka were pronounced husband and wife. At that moment, he wondered how things would be if it were her hand he had been holding then.

It took him a while to adjust to his marriage. He wasn’t sure how to display affection for his wife, seeing as he didn’t have any. She was a kind, caring person, just not the one he wished to marry. 

It was always awkward for him. He was always expected to be with her during family-related business, and so was Peko. She was by his side almost as much as his wife was, always watching over him, protecting him from danger if it came his way. After the wedding, she had reverted back to being and acting like she was a simple tool. It broke his heart to see her act like she had been before. He had taught her so much in that year, when she had finally decided to go for a romantic relationship with him, throwing away her tool status. Now, it was like none of that had ever even happened.

One day, several months after he had been married, there was a threat from another gang. Threats weren’t uncommon of course, but when they happened, the Kuzuryuu group would deal with them very seriously.

"Young Master," Peko had spoken up to him. "Give me your orders and I shall kill every last one of them."

Kuzuryuu felt a lump grow in his throat at those words. She was speaking so nonchalantly about attacking enemies, as if she were in no danger at all. She was an excellent swordswoman, but he often worried about her. What if she were to die?

"Peko, I can’t let you do that," he told her gently. "You could get hurt."

Peko’s face remained as emotionless as it usually was. “My safety and survival is irrelevant. My life means absolutely nothing in comparison to yours. My job as your tool is to take down your enemies whether or not it means I survive,” she stated simply. 

His heart sunk into his stomach when he heard her words. He had told her in their days together that her life mattered to him and that she should value it more, and she had believed him. Now, all that was gone.

"Fuyuhiko," Haruka spoke up. "Perhaps it would be good if we had Pekoyama-san take a look at the situation."

Kuzuryuu gritted his teeth together. “But what if she gets hurt?” he protested.

Peko crossed her arms. “Irrelevant. On your order, I will attack.”

He hesitated. He felt awful seeing Peko act like this, so willing to give up her life for him. “Fine, just take a look. But don’t hurt anyone or fight anyone unless you need to,” he muttered to her.

Peko gave a firm nod. “Yes, Young Master.” With that, she turned around and walked out of the room briskly. 

"Pekoyama-san is very loyal, isn’t she?" commented Haruka, smiling at her husband. "It’s good we have a swordswoman so willing like her."

Kuzuryuu couldn’t muster up anything aside from a nod.

Haruka seemed to notice something was off and frowned. “Is there something wrong, dear?”

"No… It’s nothing," muttered the yakuza heir unconvincingly as he looked away from her, trying to hide his expression of discontent. 

His wife wasn’t buying his words, quite clearly. She crossed her arms under her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. “I can see you’re upset, I’m not stupid.” She reached her hand out to gently brush her soft fingers against his cheek reassuringly and lovingly, causing Kuzuryuu to flinch in her direction. As she stroked his cheek, he imagined his swordswoman’s fingers, and instantly felt awful for doing such a thing. “It’s all right. I’m sure that we’ll be fine. Threats are just threats.”

She thought he was upset about the threat, huh? Kuzuryuu sighed. “Thank you, Haruka,” he whispered to her. A lump of lead was settling at the back of his throat. She had no idea about the real source of his concerns. It didn’t even cross her mind, most likely. Because to her, Peko was another tool, and she assumed that her husband would think the same thing.

But Peko wasn’t a tool to him. Even if he tried to hide it and push it away after all this time, he still secretly longed for her, and it was killing him inside. He was married now. He shouldn’t wish for her in the way he was, and he shouldn’t hope for any future with them together. It just wasn’t going to happen. That much he had accepted a long time ago.

Haruka was a perfectly caring and loving woman, and she was a great wife for him. So why couldn’t he love her the same way he loved his swordswoman?

His feelings of uncertainty and conflict raged on for days and days. It reached its peak one night, on the first day of his wife’s trip to visit her family in another city. Kuzuryuu had been wandering down the empty halls of his house, wearing only a nightgown and sighing to himself. His internal battle with his emotions had been making him feel sick. Now that Haruka was gone for a while, he could breath for a little bit and sort out his feelings. He could take this time now to think and push away his romantic intentions towards his swordswoman forever, so that he could put an end to this once in for all. There was nothing good that could come out of holding onto false hope like he was.

He was about to enter his room when he encountered her. She was gazing at him, clearly sensing his sorrow.

"Young Master," she greeted. "You look as though something is troubling you."

He gulped and nodded. His heart hurt at the very sight of her beautiful red eyes, the same ones he had looked into so many times before when he was seeking comfort. He remembered the day when the two of them had accepted the end of their relationship. It had gone just like this, hadn’t it? She had caught him heading to his room and asked what was wrong.

It was hard to talk to her these days. Every time he saw her, it hurt him. 

"Is there something you wish to discuss with me?" she asked, staring directly into his eyes with her own. There was a seriousness in her expression, and perhaps a little bit of understanding.

"Yes," he breathed. This weight would lay on his shoulders until he discussed it with her. "We need to talk…" He turned towards his door and opened it, inviting her inside. 

Once the two of them were inside, he shut the door. It was dark and the whole house was completely silent, the atmosphere strangely tense and unsettling. His heart was racing. This would be the moment he could finally throw away his past with her and move forward. 

"Peko," he started. "I… I hate seeing you act like this…"

Peko looked down at her feet. “I have no choice, Young Master,” she responded, a hint of sorrow in her voice. “There is no other purpose for me and I must fulfill what I was always intended to do.”

Kuzuryuu clenched his fists at her words. “But that’s not true!” he shouted back at her. “You’re not my tool, Peko! You never have been! Don’t you remember?” he urged her. 

Her eyes widened, her mouth open very slightly as she recalled memories she tried hard to forget about. His arms wrapping tightly around her, his hot breath on her lips as he leaned in to kiss her… It was overwhelming, and she had to take a step away from him. “Young Master… I… I try very hard not to remember…” she breathed. “I may have once had hope to stand by your side as your equal, but it was foolish for me to think. I have nothing to do with myself but stand beside you and protect you and your wife, like the Kuzuryuu Group always wanted.”

"Just because you’re not with me doesn’t mean you can just throw your life away!" Kuzuryuu blurted out, frustration growing within him.

"You don’t understand!" she yelled back, startling him. Noticing that she was a bit loud, she shrunk away, and switched to a quieter, more in character tone of voice. "You don’t understand, Young Master. You were the one who taught me all those things about how to be a normal human being, rather than a tool… You were the one who stood by my side," she responded. "But… even now, if I try to act by what you taught me… It hurts, Young Master…" Her final words were barely more than a whisper, but it was enough to cause a huge blow to Kuzuryuu.

He bit his lip and said nothing, waiting for his swordswoman to continue.

"It hurts to remember and it hurts to act as you taught me," she added. "Because it reminds me too much of our time together, and what we cannot have. So I try to bury my memories and feelings for you away by acting as the Kuzuryuu family wishes," she explained. She was nervous and unsteady, something very out of character for her. It was obvious that she was just as upset as he was, and that her struggle had been just as bad, if not worse.

He nodded in understanding. Her actions made sense now, learning what she felt, but something struck her about her words. “I too try to hide my feelings for you… But I just can’t, Peko!” he blurted out, tears coming to his eyes. “I try so hard but I can’t erase how I feel! I still love you, Peko!”

Those last words just tumbled out of his mouth, and once he had said them, he instantly regretted it. His stomach felt uneasy as he watched her eyes grow wide with shock.

"You… love me…" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. She fidgeted a bit, looking over towards the wall to avoid his direct gaze. There was pain in her eyes and stance, clearly, but he could also see the faintest of pink on her cheeks. "I… I love you too…" she admitted quietly.

Her words struck her in the heart like he had been stabbed. “Peko…” he murmured. She was feeling the same way as he was, wasn’t she? She was struggling just as much as he was to hide her feelings, to forget about their love and move on. That’s why she tried to hide it through pretending to be as though she was only his tool.

He hardly knew what he was doing. The next moment, he found himself pressing Peko against the wall, kissing her deeply. Peko wrapped her arms around his shoulders and returned it with an equal amount of passion, groaning into the kiss. 

They pulled away and looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, and then dove in for another, this time more intimate kiss. Their tongues fought a battle for dominance that had no clear victor and their bodies seemed to meld together.

Their mouths moved away very slightly just for a few breaths of air, but they were still close enough to taste the warmth of the other’s breath. Kuzuryuu licked his lips nervously as he gazed into her eyes with pure affection, telling her all about how much he loved her without using words. She returned the gaze with an equal amount of love, smiling at him. 

"Fuyuhiko…" she whispered his first name so gently, so affectionately that Kuzuryuu’s heart nearly melted.

Kuzuryuu found his lips against Peko’s again, kissing her with all the passion and love he had within him. Peko moaned into the kiss and allowed Kuzuryuu to slip his tongue into her mouth and explore. Her hands slid his nightgown off of his shoulders smoothly, and it fell to the ground in a heap of fabric.

The yakuza heir stopped kissing her and moved towards his futon, where he lay down. He left a significant amount of space beside him, which was then occupied by Peko falling beside him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him fully. His hands quickly began to undo her clothing.

A while later, they found themselves cuddling completely naked under the covers of his futon. They were staring into each other’s eyes lovingly, exhausted from their love making. Kuzuryuu caressed Peko’s cheek gently, smiling for the first time in days. It didn’t take them very long to fall asleep in each other’s embrace.

That morning, Kuzuryuu woke up to the feeling of Peko’s naked body pressed closely against him. At first, he barely registered the enormity of the situation because he was too tired, but as the rays of sun coming from the window began to wake him further, it suddenly hit him. His eyes opened wide, realizing what he had done.

He and Peko had slept together.

Peko opened her eyes and gazed at him, realizing that he was panicked. She began to stroke his bare back to soothe him a little. “It’s okay, Fuyuhiko.” The sound of her voice saying his first name began to ease his panic just a bit, and he relaxed. 

"Peko…" he whispered to her. "I have… I have a wife…"

"I know," she replied, a sorrowful look in her eyes. "But she’s not here right now, and this won’t happen again. So let’s enjoy it while we can, Fuyuhiko."

Kuzuryuu nodded, though he was still unsure. Peko pulled her naked body closer to his and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, which he then returned shakily. As he wrapped his arms tightly around her, their kiss grew stronger and more passionate. If this was the last time he shared this with Peko, then he wanted it to count.

They drew apart. Kuzuryuu took the time to admire the feeling of her body against his, and the look in her eyes as she watched him. He stroked up and down her body lovingly, taking in how her soft skin felt against his hand. This would be the last time he would do this, he told himself. It was just once and it had been in the heat of the moment, and it wouldn’t happen again. He shouldn’t have to worry, right?

Peko and Kuzuryuu spent most of the day away from each other, but throughout the day, the only thing that they could think of was their intimate encounter. Kuzuryuu’s mind kept drifting off, recalling how passionate their love making had been, how perfect it felt to have her body up against his once again. It had been so wonderful. Peko thought of him and the love they had shared with each other so openly. She had missed being with him like that so much. Getting to share that with him just once more was heaven.

At the end of the day, they found each other in the hallway again. Their eyes met, but no words were exchanged between them. They already knew what the other was thinking.

Kuzuryuu pulled her into his room and onto his futon, kissing her passionately. She moaned in bliss as she wrapped her hands around him, allowing their passion to take over once again.

Things continued on like this for several days while Haruka was away. Kuzuryuu and Peko would take every moment they were alone to bathe in each other’s affection with kisses and embraces, and at night, with their love making. It was the happiest the two of them had been since their last year in school. However, as they continued their secret relationship, their worry grew stronger. What would happen when Haruka returned in a few days? What if she found out? What would they tell her?

About two weeks later, Haruka returned. She greeted her nervous husband cheerfully.

"Hello, Fuyuhiko!" she said with a smile. "I missed you."

Kuzuryuu was trembling. “Y-Yeah! So did I!” he replied. He felt genuinely horrible for what he had done with Peko. It wasn’t fair to her. Haruka was such a kind person and she did not deserve to have someone like him, who was behaving in such disgraceful behavior. 

Haruka kissed him on the lips, stunning Kuzuryuu to the spot. It wasn’t like he hadn’t kissed her before, but now considering what he had done, he was mortified. As she drew back, he wondered if she could taste Peko on his lips.

The next few days were awkward between him and Peko. They continued on with their life before their affair, with Kuzuryuu spending time and attending family matters with his wife. Peko went back to calling him Young Master, something that broke Kuzuryuu’s heart. It had been so wonderful to hear his name on her lips again. She remained by his side, guarding him, protecting him and his wife. However, as she sat next to Haruka, she felt awful knowing what she had done with Kuzuryuu. She avoided his wife’s gaze as best as she could without seeming blatantly awkward. 

During the meetings, Peko and Kuzuryuu would exchange quick glances. It was no secret between them that they both still longed for each other, even though his wife had returned and the risk was significantly higher. Not only was it riskier, but it just felt even more wrong. He didn’t want to hurt Haruka, but he was in pain without Peko.

Peko felt the same way. She was horribly guilty, yet her mind and body longed to feel Kuzuryuu’s love again. She couldn’t just stay away from him after their passionate two weeks. 

He decided to confront her one day, as his wife was finishing up her dinner. He hadn’t been hungry. 

"Peko," he called to her. She whipped around.

"Young M-…" She paused. "Fuyuhiko," she tried. 

He smiled a little at his name. It helped him, even if just a little bit. “Come with me,” he requested, gesturing to his room.

Peko followed him into his room. A lump in his throat was choking him as he recalled the other times he had pulled her into his room to make love to her on his futon. It made him uneasy, and he wondered if he would even be able to speak.

Peko looked at him expectantly. She was hiding her emotions again. Surely she knew what he was going go talk with her about.

He looked at his feet. “Peko, I know I have Haruka and all… but…” His whole body felt like it was shaking like an earthquake. Trembling, he took a step forward towards her, reaching his hand out to rub her soft cheek. She flinched at the touch, but then settled into it. Her hand rested over his reassuringly. “I… I need you, Peko. I can’t bear to stay away from you any longer.”

Peko looked into his eyes with understanding. She too knew how he felt. It was hard for them to stay apart when they had grown so close to each other and wanted nothing more than to be with each other. “Fuyuhiko,” she whispered. Her face leaned closer to his to kiss him gently on the lips. It was not passionate, just sorrowful and tender. It lasted for just enough time for them to let their emotions pass to each other, to let them understand their situation.

When they pulled away, they stared at each other. “I don’t know how this is going to work… Heck, I don’t even know if this can work,” Kuzuryuu started. “But I want to stay with you, Peko. No matter what it takes.”

Peko nodded. “I agree, Fuyuhiko.” She let out a sigh. “I just… I just don’t feel right, with your wife…” She hesitated, a look of conflict on her face. “I feel awful.”

Kuzuryuu grimaced. He felt just as awful as she did, if not even worse. “I do, too,” he admitted.

"Then what should we do?" she asked, her voice full of desperation. It was strange to her hear emotions so raw and unhidden, and it made his heart sting.

He looked down at his feet, clenching his fists at his side as he debated his options. He didn’t want to hurt Haruka, but he didn’t want to deny himself the happiness that he deserved with Peko. It was truly selfish of them, wasn’t it? But what were they supposed to do? Were they supposed to resist each other and live their whole lives standing by each other without being able to have what they truly wanted? No matter how long they gave them, they were sure they would never get over the romantic feelings the harbored towards each other. 

"…Let’s just be careful," Kuzuryuu decided. "If she doesn’t find out, it’s okay, right?" He wasn’t entirely sure he believed in his words, and he was almost forcing himself to as he said them out loud.

Peko nodded firmly. “Yes, Fuyuhiko. Perhaps… perhaps that is the only option we have…”

That was the decision they made, and the decision that they stuck with. They continued on with their secret relationship, spending time together whenever they could find the chance to be alone for even just a moment. They would steal kisses from each other often, but it was hard for them to find the time to do much else. Whenever Haruka left for long periods of time, however, was when they truly got the chance to be with each other. They would cuddle and share loving words, and sometimes they would make love to each other quietly, so that no one in the house could hear them. 

It was hard for them to hold back their love, so whenever they had the time, they let it rush freely, showing the other all the affection they had for them. Those moments they spent together were always complete bliss.


	20. Prompt: Chapter Two Reversal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We interrupt the previous prompt to bring you this. Don't worry, there will be a part three coming soon. I was just rereading chapter two and I felt as though I needed to write this.
> 
> I believe an anon requested this a while back. It's a AU where Kuzuryuu manages to convince everyone that he is the culprit and everyone gets executed except for Peko. I really believe that was what he intended to do. If you read the trial again knowing their relationship, it really becomes clear.
> 
> Unbetaed and contains SDR2 spoilers. This was just a very quick thing, so yeah, sorry if I didn't do as well. I tried to keep the words to a minimum.

She walked into her trial with every intention to die for him. Little did she know that he was thinking the same thing.

"I killed Koizumi," Kuzuryuu admitted to the group, a small drop of sweat forming on his forehead as he spoke. 

Saionji instantly became enraged with his confession, and stomped her feet. “I knew it was you!” she cried out, pointing towards him. “You killed my Big Sis Koizumi! How could you?”

Kuzuryuu wore a fake smirk on his face. He knew very well he was leading himself to his grave along with everyone else here, but he couldn’t bear to let her die while he lived on. “Because that fucker helped kill my little sister,” he explained. “She deserved whatever punishment she could get.”

There were shouts of protests and displeasure from other people in the court room. All of the voices seemed to meld together and no one could really make heads or tails of what anyone was saying. Kuzuryuu’s eyes quickly darted towards the silent Peko, who wore a look of shock on her face. She was not shocked by the revelation, rather, she was shocked by what he was doing for her.

He was sure she was about to open her mouth to protest, so he quickly cut her off by beginning to speak.

"My little sister didn’t deserve to die, so don’t say shit like Koizumi didn’t, either," he told them all.

However, Hinata looked rather puzzled. “Kuzuryuu, did you really kill Koizumi, though?”

Hinata’s question caused Kuzuryuu to freeze up. “Of course!” he snapped back. “I already confessed to it, didn’t I? What reason do I have to fucking lie?”

Nanami crossed her arms under her chest and looked away as she thought. “….It does seem strange that you would confess to a crime you didn’t do… But Hinata-kun may be right…” She then turned to look at the boy directly. “…How did you manage to escape out of that window?”

Shit. Kuzuryuu was obviously very small and didn’t have the skill to jump high or scale a wall using a bamboo sword like Peko did. “I-I didn’t… I didn’t escape using the window,” he admitted.

Komaeda didn’t seem convinced. “But Kuzuryuu-kun, we already said that the culprit couldn’t have escaped any other way.”

"Yeah, but I did," he confessed. "I just stepped in Saionji’s foot prints. My feet are a little bigger than hers even though I am small… so I hopped a bit."

There was a round of mutters coming from everyone in the room. It was a dumb lie, but Kuzuryuu was determined to convince everyone, no matter what.

Nanami sighed. “…Well, I suppose it’s possible…”

"Then it was him!" Saionji yelled out. "Let’s get to voting and kill him already! He’s obvious he did it, and he even has a motive!"

"Heh," laughed Kuzuryuu. If he could cause an uproar, maybe then they would make a hasty decision and get on with voting. "Kill me if you want. It doesn’t change the fact that Koizumi deserved to be killed."

His plan seemed to work and everyone began screaming and shouting in a rage at his words. 

"Let’s vote!" cried one person.

"Yeah, come on!" yelled another.

Monokuma laughed. “I suppose it’s voting time, then! Please vote using the switches in front of you!”

Hinata looked around, his eyes wide. “Wait-“

But it was too late. Voting had begun and most everyone had already chosen. Even if they were to discuss anything now, a majority of the group had already put down Kuzuryuu. Peko was nearly frozen in the spot, her hand hovering about the voting switches. She gave her young master a terrified, startled look, asking him why he would do such a thing for her.

The voting commenced, and Kuzuryuu was voted guilty. However…

Monokuma laughed. “Hahaha! You bastards are completely wrong!” he cackled. “It wasn’t Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu who killed Mahiru Koizumi!”

Saionji blinked in confusing. “What are you trying to say? Of course it was him! He confessed!” she protested.

"W-What are you trying to tell us?" Ibuki asked the bear.

Hinata’s fists clenched at his sides. “I knew it,” he muttered to himself. “If only we had taken the time to discuss this a little further, we could have come to the correct conclusion…” He looked at his feet, a defeated look upon his face. There was nothing left to do but accept his fate.

Kuzuryuu grinned. His plan had succeded. It meant that he was going to die, but that didn’t matter. He turned towards his swordswoman and smiled brightly at her. She, however, did not return the smile, and only stood there with a look of visible shock painting her face.

"Who was it, then?" Nidai demanded. "Reveal yourself!"

Everyone looked around the court room, eyeing each other nervously. No one knew what to think or who to suspect.

"…It was me," Peko admitted.

Every face in the room turned to look towards her.

"W-What? Peko-chan killed Mahiru-chan?" gasped Ibuki.

Peko nodded. “Yes.”

More shouts and mutters came from every corner of the court room. Everyone was in a panic, knowing that they would all die here because of a silly mistake they had made. Hinata was right. If only they hadn’t jumped to conclusions. However, something about what had happened didn’t make any sense.

"If it was you, Pekoyama, then why did Kuzuryuu confess?" Owari questioned.

Peko shut her eyes tightly, her hands balling into fists. “Mostly likely, it was because… My Young Master… did not want me to be discovered…”

"Young Master?" repeated Souda, confused. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Kuzuryuu glared at all of them. “Peko is my hitwoman,” he explained. “She’s also the most important girl in the world for me, so I couldn’t allow her to die. She… she was trying to save my life by sacrificing her own…”

Many people in the room questioned how exactly killing Koizumi would have saved Kuzuryuu, but Monokuma interrupted. “Yeah yeah, the details don’t matter!” he laughed. “What matters is that you bastards were wrong, and so now, you all have to be punished!” Even though the expression on Monokuma’s face never ever changed, it seemed as though his grin was even more malicious than usual. 

"W-WAIT!" cried Souda. "This isn’t fair! Kuzuryuu confessed! He tricked us all!"

"That’s not my problem! It’s your fault for beliving him!" cried Monokuma.

Monomi was covering her eyes, cowering. “I can’t bewieve this could happen to my prewious students…” she spoke, her voice trembling. “This is howwible! I wish I could prowtect you all!”

Monokuma laughed at his “little sister’s” cries. “I’ve been waiting for this kind of excitement for a long time! Come on, everyone, it’s punishment time!”

And with those starting words, Peko was forced to watch as all of her classmates were brutally executed in front of her. Her young master stood next to her, clutching her hand tightly to reassure her. As she watched each and every one of them die, she wondered why she had bothered with this foolish plan in the first place. In the end, she had only brought everyone to their graves, and she had failed to protect her precious Kuzuryuu.

Kuzuryuu was saved for last. “All right!” Monokuma cried. “It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu’s Punishment!”

Peko gripped Kuzuryuu’s hand tighter, rage boiling through her veins. She may have failed to protect the others, but there was no way that she was just going to sit back and allow Monokuma to kill him. There had to be a way to save him.

Kuzuryuu looked up towards his hitwoman, a sad smile on his face. “Well, Peko,” he whispered to her. “Thank you for everything…” The boy couldn’t think of what else to say, now that he was directly staring into the face of death. Instead of words, small sobs began to come out of his mouth as he realized that this was the last time he would hold her hand. It was for the best, he told himself. Peko would live and be free now that she didn’t have him. She was no longer going to be a simple tool, and instead could live her life as Peko Pekoyama, a normal high school girl. Yet, there was a part of him on the inside that ached. How he wished he could stay by her side. He never got to be with her like he wanted to. 

"Young Master," whispered Peko, his sobs piercing her heart like a thousand swords. "Young Master Fuyuhiko…! You can’t leave me! What am I supposed to do without you?"

Kuzuryuu shook his head and did his best to muster up a smile. “Y-You’re free now, Peko,” he told her. “You don’t have to serve anyone anymore. So please… Do this for me… just be free to be yourself…” That’s what he truly wanted for her. A life she could without anyone pushing her around and calling her a tool. She needed a life where she could be a normal high school girl, not some hitwoman who barely had a will of her own. Yet, as he thought of her life as a free human girl, he wondered to himself. Didn’t he desire to be free with her together?

The realization stung and he gripped her hand tightly. “Please, Peko…! I wish I could have lived this life with you, but just remember me, okay?” he requested, sobs shaking his voice. “You’re free now! Go be free!”

Peko’s glasses were blurring up with her tears, and she could barely see him. She desperately wiped at them in order to clear them up. This would be the last chance she had to see him, and she didn’t want her tears to get in the way. “Young Master!” she cried out. He had always been so kind and caring towards her, but never did she once think he would go and do something like this just for her.

He was truly a wonderful young master. She wouldn’t have been happier serving anyone else.

She wanted to tell him about her feelings for him. This was the last chance she had, so it was now or never. She was afraid, but there was no other choice. As she realized this, she wondered to herself why she had been so afraid to tell him earlier. Now, there was nothing left for them. Slowly, Peko opened her mouth, courage rising up in her as those words she had been longing to say rose up within her. 

"Young Master Fuyuhiko!" she spoke. "I love you!"

However, as she spoke those last words, a loud shot rang out from the other side of the room. Her eyes drifted down to her young master’s chest, where blood was beginning to seep out. He instantly dropped to the floor lifelessly, his body landing at her feet.

Peko was absolutely devastated. “Young Master!” she cried out, dropping to her knees at his body. “No, Young Master!” She yelled to him, begging for some kind of response. There had to be some kind of life left in him, he couldn’t die like this! However, as she yelled his name out, there was no answer from the boy. In desperation, Peko pushed his body over on his back.

When she looked into his eyes, her heart stopped. His eyes contained nothing, all life having drained away from his body instantly. There was nothing left of him. He was already gone, probably having not heard her confession over the sound of Monokuma’s gunshot.  
He would never know.

"FUYUHIKO!" she cried out, falling onto his body and allowing herself to openly sob. Her tears soaked his bloody shirt as she tightly clenched the fabric, holding onto the remains of her young master tightly. 

Monokuma let out an evil, twisted laughter. “Oops!” he cried. “It looks like my finger slipped! I shot too early!” he taunted. His malicious cackles filled the room, echoing the empty, almost lifeless space. “Too bad he didn’t get to hear you! He would have been very happy!”

But she didn’t listen to his evil cries. Instead, she simply burred herself within the quickly fading warmth of the boy she had loved. Her soul felt like it had been stepped on and crushed to tiny bits. Monokuma may have said that if the culprit succeeded, then they wouldn’t be punished, but Peko realized then that it was just another one of his bitter lies.

This was her punishment.


	21. Prompt: Non-Despair Future Fic P3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the delayed part three. Sorry about that! I will write an epilogue if people want since this does leave off on a hook, but I want to focus on PokeRonpa and my other AU: Attack on Despair!
> 
> So enjoy for now!
> 
> lots of drama and fluff and stuff

Their relationship kept up this way for months without anyone suspecting a thing. It was only about four months later when any difficulty began to arise.

It started one day at a family meeting, where Peko would sit behind him and guard him as always. Usually, the two of them would exchange small glances, but for some reason, Peko was refusing to even glance in his direction. Her eyes were locked on a stain on the wall, not even moving an inch. There was absolutely no trace of emotion in her eyes, and Kuzuryuu had gotten quite good at reading her in the last few months. Even he couldn't decipher the look she held in her gaze.

When the meeting ended, Peko stood up and briskly strode out the door without a word to him or Haruka. He blinked in confusion as he watched her, wondering to himself about what could be going on.

Haruka frowned. "Is there something wrong, dear?"

Kuzuryuu shook his head. "No, it's nothing..." he told her.

That night at dinner, something was off again. Usually, Peko and him would try to eat quickly so that they could spend some time together in his room before everyone else was done. However, this time, after he finished and went back to his room, she wasn't waiting there for him like she always was. His room was unpleasantly empty, and it made his stomach churn in apprehension. What was going on? Did something bad happen today that was stopping her?

He waited for her, but she never came. Eventually, Haruka turned up in his room and he spent the time chatting with her until it was time for him to go to bed. However, he could not sleep that night. He was too busy worrying about Peko, and about why she hadn’t turned up that day.

The next day proved to be no different, as did the following day. It became clear to him that Peko was avoiding him for whatever reason, something that hurt his heart. Why was Peko doing this to him? Had she changed her mind about their affair? Had she decided it was too wrong to continue? He wanted to confront her about it, but he could never find the time. He only saw her in meetings and at dinner, and at those two times she would always run out as soon as it was done, leaving him no opportunity to catch her without being spotted.

Kuzuryuu felt crushed. The fact that Peko didn’t even want to open up about her feelings was making it even worse. They were always open before, discussing what they felt they should do and what needed to be done in their relationship. He found that openly communicating her about his problems helped avoid possible opportunities for Haruka or any other yakuza member to find out about their secret. So why was she avoiding him now? Was it just because she was too scared of getting caught all of a sudden?

One night around a week later, Haruka went out on a short trip to see her parents. Kuzuryuu was hoping that Peko would return to him now that his wife was definitely away and there was a zero percent change of her catching them, but it proved to be false when Peko never even approached him. He found himself lying on his futon in the pitch black desolate room, thinking of her, worrying about her… He hadn’t felt this alone for a long time. Though he did not love Haruka in the way he loved his swordswoman, she was at least a friendly presence at night. Now, lying there, he had no one but the dark.

He clenched his fists. He needed to confront Peko about this, and there was no better time than now. It was the middle of the night, so she had to be asleep. He would just wake her up. Kuzuryuu leapt to his feet with determination and walked briskly out the door. He wandered down the winding halls until he reached the rooms which servants of the family lived in, and he found hers instantly. He had by now memorized which door belonged to her.

But as he was about to open the door, his hand froze right in front of it. He could hear something… No, someone… Kuzuryuu glanced around, but found that the sound was not coming from the hallway. He leaned his head closer to the door, listening. From the inside of Peko’s room, he could hear her very soft, muffled sobs. His heart seemed to stop the moment he indentified just what kind of sounds he was hearing.

In a panic, Kuzuryuu pushed the door aside swiftly, revealing the room before him. Peko was curled up onto her futon dressed in her night clothes, her face buried into her pillow as she attempted to cover up the sound of her cries. Kuzuryuu’s jaw dropped open and he quickly shut the door so no one else could see.

He ran up to the futon and dropped down at her side, devastation washing over his eyes. He had no idea what was wrong, but it killed him to see his lover in such a state.

“Peko!” he cried out to her. “Peko!”

The swordswoman tilted her head away from the pillow, meeting his gaze with her eyes, which were puffy and tearful. To see her so openly upset was a huge blow to his heart. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. After a few seconds, she buried her head back within the plush pillow and hid her cries from him.

Kuzuryuu began to run his hands through her silver hair lovingly, hoping that it would help her feel better. “Shh… It’s okay, Peko,” he whispered to her. “I’m here now.” As he said that, he couldn’t help but wonder if his presence was only making the situation worse. What if Peko was crying because of him? He felt a stinging sensation in his chest, but he continued on. Right now, he needed to be there for her, no matter what.

Her face peaked out from the pillow again. Tears were streaming down her face in waterfalls, and Kuzuryuu tried his best to brush them away with his gentle fingers. Peko looked into his green eyes, which were full of pain from seeing her cry. Without warning, the swordswoman grabbed Kuzuryuu and buried her face into his chest and began to sob loudly, clutching onto the fabric of his shirt.

Kuzuryuu didn’t know what to do, so he simply held her tightly to him, stroking her back reassuringly as she cried. He didn’t know why, but no matter what, he decided, he would be there to comfort her.

Slowly, her sobs died down into small sniffles. She crawled out of his embrace and looked at him, her eyes still wet from her sobs. “I… I’m sorry… Young Master…” she whispered in between her sniffles.

His eyes widened. Why was she apologizing? “Peko,” he whispered to her lovingly. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything… No matter what you’re crying about….”

Peko flinched but said nothing.

Kuzuryuu’s unsteady hands reached out to grasp hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “Do you think you can tell me what you’re upset about, Peko?” he asked her gently, not wanting to upset her any further. Whatever it was, it just had to do with the fact that she had been avoiding him, right? He was heavily involved with this.

“I…” she choked out. “I can’t…”

Kuzuryuu shifted his body so that he was closer to her and wrapped her in another tight hug. “I understand,” he replied, his voice soft. “It has to do with me, doesn’t it?”

Peko gripped his shirt tighter at those words and nodded.

“Whatever it is, Peko,” the yakuza heir spoke to her. “I will be okay with it. If you want us to end our relationship, then…” He breathed, feeling his chest seem to constrict. Of course he didn’t wish to end their relationship, but if it was what she wanted, then he would listen. “…Then I will. Even though I wish to continue it myself, I love you and just want you to be happy... So if it’s that…”

Peko shook her head frantically at those words. A small sob escaped her mouth, indicating that she was in danger of her tears returning. “That’s not it, Young Master! Of course I love you and want to stay with you!” she cried out, sobs shaking her voice. “But... but… we can’t do this anymore…!”

Kuzuryuu felt tears begin to form in his eyes as he listened to her speak. The bitter truth hit him like a truck, and it stung like nothing ever before.

“I don’t know what to do, Young Master!” she continued. “What am I supposed to do when she finds out?”

Kuzuryuu tried to soothe her with his embrace, but it was tough when he too was tearing up. “It’s okay, Peko. She won’t find out…” he reassured her. They had been very careful, and as far as he could tell, Haruka hadn’t caught on to their affair. Peko had been avoiding him recently, so that also helped prevent any suspicion. “No one suspects a thing.”

Peko pulled her body away from their embrace, but her hands remained tightly clutching onto his shoulders. “No!” she yelled. “You don’t understand!” Her tears had come back and were now trickling down her chin slowly.

He blinked, confused. “What do you mean? What don’t I understand?” he asked.

She shook her head frantically.”I can’t tell you!” she cried out to him. “I… I can’t….!”

At this point, Kuzuryuu began to get a little more than just concerned. “Why can’t you?” he asked her, worry in his tone.

Peko looked down and clenched her teeth together, allowing a stream of tears to fall from her eyes. It wasn’t that she couldn’t tell him, it was that she didn’t want to… Or rather, perhaps, she was having trouble saying. He placed a reassuring yet unsteady hand on her cheek, which caused her to glance up at him. Then, he gave her a small, shaky smile he forced upon his face.

“It’s okay. No matter what it is, it’ll be okay, okay?” he told her, confidence in his tone. “I won’t hate you for anything.”

She hesitated. Her eyes were full of conflict as she debated her words, and he waited for her to sort herself out. Just as she was about to open her mouth confidently, however, a burst of tears broke free from her eyes.

“Young Master…!” she sobbed out. “…Fuyuhiko!” she then corrected.

Kuzuryuu felt his heart practically beating out of his chest, and his stomach clenched in anticipation. He could feel an unpleasant tingling within him, increasing his feeling of crushing anxiety.

“I’m pregnant!” Peko cried out.

His whole body went still, and his jaw slack. The thumping in his chest seemed to still for a few moments. He repeated her cry in his head several times over, trying to grasp the stone cold truth of it. But no matter how many times he did, it still hit him every time like a rough blow of reality, slamming and washing over the days of fantasy he had spent with Peko.

He could barely speak. “You’re… pregnant…” he repeated, his voice almost robotic.

She nodded and began to sob again, this time throwing herself into his chest and grasping onto him for support. This time, however, he could barely wrap his arms around her. They didn’t seem to want to move.

“You’re pregnant…” he whispered again, this time showing his raw shock. “You’re pregnant… Oh god… Peko… You’re pregnant…”

No matter how many times he said it, he didn’t feel any better. Peko was pregnant. He didn’t even need to question who the father was in his mind, because it was obvious. The only person who it could possibly be was him, and there was no doubt about it. Peko was pregnant and he was the father. “F-Fuck…” he cursed.

Peko removed herself from him when she sensed the sudden overwhelming anxiety that filled through her lover. She looked up at him and showed him the fear within her eyes.

“How did this… how did this fucking happen…” he whispered to himself. “We were… protecting ourselves… right?”

She didn’t answer because there was no need to. They both knew very well that they hadn’t. They had been so caught up in their own little world that the thought that Peko could possibly become pregnant barely had crossed their mind. Now they had to face the bitter consequences of that mistake.

He breathed heavily as panic overtook him. “What… what the fuck do we do now, Peko?” he breathed. “Haruka’s going to find out. Oh fuck, she’s going to find out…” There was no way for them to hide something so obvious like a pregnancy. It would become clear in a few months that Peko was very much pregnant, and it wouldn’t be hard for them to conclude that Kuzuryuu had to be the father of the child. Who else could it be? She had no connection to anyone else but him…

Peko looked down at her flat stomach and said nothing

Kuzuryuu had to take a few moments to breath before he could ask her any more questions. The overwhelming situation was really taking its toll on him.

“How long have you known?” he asked her quietly when he found his breath.

She looked away, avoiding his gaze. “About two weeks,” she told him.

That would explain why she had been avoiding him lately, then. She was terrified of having to tell him her discovery and deal with the future consequences, so she simply hid from him.

“How did you find out?” he asked. In truth, he just wasn’t sure what he should be saying, so he questioned her with the first things that came to his mind.

“I woke up feeling unwell two weeks ago,” she began to explain. “But I thought nothing of it that day… I just figured I had gotten a little sick. But when it came the next day, and the day after… I began to panic.” She fidgeted as she recalled the memory, which could have only been unpleasant. “I realized that it was a possibility, so I snuck out to a faraway store and bought a test. I took in their public bathroom because I did not want to leave any evidence at the house. It came out positive. I went to another store after that and bought some more of different brands in case there was a problem in the product and took them all. Perhaps I was just in denial…” she looked down at the futon. She began to try hiding her emotions like usual, wanting to prevent him from realizing just how terrified she must have been. “They… all were positive… and then I panicked… and I began to avoid you…”

He felt absolutely awful for her, and he found himself moving to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder for comfort. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m… really sorry…” This was his fault, wasn’t it? He felt fully guilty, even though it technically was the combined effort from the two of them that had placed her in this situation. “It’s all my fault, Peko, I’m so sorry…”

“It’s not your fault,” she spoke. “It’s my fault. Our relationship could have continued without issue had my body not decided to become pregnant…”

That was a very twisted way of looking at it. It was clear that Peko was trying to place all the blame on herself.

“No!” he cried out. “Don’t you dare blame yourself, Peko! That’s not a fair way of looking at it!” Peko snapped out of her thoughts and looked directly at him, her attention caught. “We did this together and we’re going to deal with this together, okay?” he decided. Though he was nervous and unsure, he tried his best to speak with confidence. There had to be some way to go about dealing with this situation, right?

Peko looked shocked by his sudden burst, but she said nothing.

“I don’t know what we’ll do, but no matter what, we’ll stick together,” he declared. His entire body was trembling and somewhere in the back of his mind, he was still shouting about how terrifying the situation was and how stupid he was for allowing such a thing to happen. “Okay, Peko?”

In spite of the situation, Peko managed the smallest of smiles. “Okay, Fuyuhiko,” she replied.

Neither of them knew what to do, in the end. Days and weeks flew by. Peko tried her best to hide her morning sickness and other symptoms from others while still continuing her training and job, and Kuzuryuu kept up with his family’s affairs. Haruka didn’t seem to suspect anything, much to their relief. They decided that since it would take a while until Peko’s pregnancy started to show, they would spend that time figuring out what to do.

But time went by and neither of them came up with anything. It seemed that a smooth way out of this situation was futile. Still, the two of them vowed to keep up their hopes and not fall into despair. Surely there was something that they would come up with, right?

Time was their worst enemy. Three months went by with no idea from either of them. Very slowly, it began to become apparent that Peko was gaining weight and her stomach was rounding. Peko tried her best to cover up the growing bump with her clothes, but there was very little that she could do.

Kuzuryuu and Haruka were chatting in their room one day, when Peko came in. They both halted their conversation and turned to look towards the swordswoman.

“Pekoyama!” addressed Haruka, smiling. “What have you come here for?”

Peko dipped her head respectfully. “Forgive me for intruding on your time together.” She turned to look at Kuzuryuu, who jumped a little at her gaze. “Young Master, there is someone who wishes to see you at the door.”

Kuzuryuu nodded. “All right, I’ll go talk.” He glanced at his wife with an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry Haruka, I have to get that. It’s probably some fucking bastard who wants to scream his head off at me for one way or another. I’ll be back.” With a small smile at Haruka, he walked by Peko and towards the door. But as they did, they both exchanged a few seconds of eye contact. It was a brief way of them saying that they had to talk later without communicating verbally. Peko broke it off after a few seconds and focused her attention on her lover’s wife.

Peko was about to leave, when she heard Haruka speak. “Pekoyama, come here,” she more ordered than requested.

She had no choice but to turn around and approach her. “Yes?” she asked.

Haruka squinted her eyes and began to run her gaze up and down Peko’s figure carefully, inspecting each little feature of her. Peko shifted uncomfortably, wanting to run away but knowing that she could not. Haruka’s eyes opened wide after a few seconds, and then she glanced up to meet Peko’s gaze. Her blue eyes narrowed.

“Pekoyama, excuse me for asking this, but are you gaining weight?” she asked.

Peko nearly froze to the spot. She had been risking everything these last few days, but she had hoped that Haruka would not be attentive enough to notice.

“No,” Peko responded. She was beginning to fidget a little, and she sure hoped that Haruka’s attentiveness was not strong enough to notice the drop of sweat that trickled down her forehead.

“I see,” she muttered. Her eyes glanced once more to Peko’s stomach, and then quickly turned to her face. She gave the swordswoman a bright, cheerful smile. “Might just be me then. Please forget I asked you anything!”

Peko felt uncomfortable and slipped out of the room wordlessly. That had been too close. She quickly hurried back into her room and flopped down onto the futon. Perhaps it would be better if she avoided being seen by anyone else, in case they too would notice.

She sighed and focused her attention on her stomach. Looking at it, she wondered how much longer she could hide her bump for. Slowly, she reached down and brushed against it with her fingers, feeling the strange curve. There was a baby inside of there, she told herself. It wasn't just any baby, either. It was the baby of her and her young master Kuzuryuu.

She hoped that Haruka hadn't put too much thought into what she had seen.

It was the next day that Haruka informed Kuzuryuu that she would be gone for a majority of the day. That left a good amount of time for the two of them to talk about their current situation and think about what they should do. So when Haruka left, Kuzuryuu and Peko instantly met up in his room.

Kuzuryuu's eyes were focused on his lover's stomach, where she was carrying his child. No... Not his child... their child. There was a warm feeling rising up within him as he thought about their baby, despite the situation. If it had been under any other circumstances, Kuzuryuu would be thrilled to be a father. Yet, even though it was not ideal, there was a part of him that couldn't help but be excited and joyful about their child.

Peko looked down. "I'm showing, Fuyuhiko," she admitted.

Kuzuryuu nodded. "I can see that." Cautiously, he approached her, his eyes fixed on her stomach. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he was mesmerized by the sight of it. Slowly, his hand lay spread across the lump, and his breathing hitched. It was too early to really feel his child, but he could still touch just a little. Her bump was curved and pronounced, and her stomach felt so different there.

"Fuyuhiko," she whispered sadly.

"Peko..." he spoke back, his voice soft. His fingers began to stroke Peko's bump lovingly, curiously. "That's our..."

She nodded, a lump in her throat. "Yes." She was scared, so scared to be having a child in these circumstances, and she wished that they were better. She was no motherly person, as she had not grown up with any parental figure. It would be difficult for her to raise her child as she had little idea how to, and assistance from Kuzuryuu was certainly needed. However, their situation was difficult, and Peko was absolutely terrified.

"I think I know what to do," Peko told him.

Kuzuryuu blinked up at her.

"I will tell the family that I met some man one night who I have lost contact with," she explained. 

Kuzuryuu wasn't convinced. "But Peko, that wouldn't be like you," he spoke. "They're not going to believe that you slept with some random guy. Besides, when would you have had the chance to, anyways? You've been here every night."

Peko frowned. "I suppose you're right. Then, I can tell them that the pregnancy is my fault."

"It's not, though. We're equally as responsible," Kuzuryuu reminded her.

"Perhaps we were, but I will lie and tell them that one night, when we were alone, I begged for you to sleep with me, and you felt pressured to or something like that. It was not entirely your desire to. Then, it would be because of my behavior," she decided.

That would be pushing all the blame on her, though. He couldn't tell them that! Peko would surely be punished for such behavior, while he would remain equally as guilty but unharmed. There was no way he wanted that for her. "Peko, we can't do that. I can't have you face this alone," he told her. "I deserve as much punishment as you do."

Peko looked down at her feet, her expression dark. "Then, what are we supposed to do?" she asked him, her voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know," Kuzuryuu told her, his words honest. There was absolutely nothing they could do, and all he wanted was to be with her. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't they just be together? He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth together. A small tear began to trickle down his face in frustration.

Peko wrapped her arms around him and held him close, trying to comfort him in her embrace. Yet, she wore a solemn expression, knowing that this could never last. If she could have him, then she would never ask for anything ever again.

Kuzuryuu looked deep into her eyes, and a moment of understanding passed through them. They both wanted each other more than anything, and they wished to raise their child together. Desperately seeking her comfort, Kuzuryuu reached out and brought his lips gently towards hers. Their kiss started out as sorrowful and solemn, but as it continued, it became more and more intense with the need for each other. Peko returned the kiss, enjoying his presence and the feeling of his lips against hers.

They found themselves against the wall, passionately kissing as they held each other closely. They broke apart for only a second to get air, and then they resumed their kiss, sharing their pure love for each other. It had been far too long since they had been able to do this.

Kuzuryuu's hand moved to her shoulder to slip her clothing off, but he had only pulled it halfway off her shoulder when they heard the sound of the door sliding opened.

They both felt their hearts stop and froze in place. Slowly, Kuzuryuu turned his head towards the door. Haruka was standing in the entrance, her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

"I thought so," she spoke, her voice harsh.

Kuzuryuu and Peko instantly broke away from each other, and the swordswoman slipped her shirt back so that it was fully covering her body.

"This isn't..." Kuzuryuu started, but he gulped down his next words. This wasn't what it looked like? That would never get by.

Haruka tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for some sort of explanation. Peko looked away, avoiding the gaze of her lover's wife. She felt horrified and ashamed of herself.

Neither of them said anything, so Haruka started to speak up. "I knew something was going on between you two, Fuyuhiko," she said, addressing her husband with bitterness. "Not only have you been sleeping with her, but you've even gotten her pregnant!"

Peko's hands frantically moved to her stomach, feeling for the bump. 

Kuzuryuu's jaw dropped. "H-How..."

"It's pretty obvious that she's pregnant, and I realized that you had plenty of opportunities to impregnate her," Haruka explained. "It couldn't have been anyone else."

Kuzuryuu and Peko said absolutely nothing, both of them silenced with shock and fear.

"I'm going to inform your father," Haruka spoke. With that, she whisked away, striding down the hallway with purpose.

Peko and Kuzuryuu stood there in complete silence for a few seconds. They were both too terrified to even make a movement. Oh god, when his father found out about this... Kuzuryuu gulped.

He turned towards Peko. There was only one option now. "Come on, Peko!" he yelled to her.

Peko blinked. "What?" she asked, her voice confused.

"We're leaving, of course!" he declared loudly, his mind completely made up.

"But Fuyuhiko, there's nowhere for us to go now! Your father is going to find out, and..." Peko protested.

"There may be nowhere for us to go, but we can run for now." He strode towards her and grabbed her hand tightly, looking into her shocked red eyes with confidence. "We'll think about where later. We just need to get away from here."

As Peko gazed into her lover's eyes, she began to realize what her options were. They could stay here and suffer the consequences, or they could make an attempt to get away. There was always the chance that they would be caught, but there was hope for an escape. 

She nodded quickly. "I'll get my sword." With that, she turned way and ran out of the room towards her own. Kuzuryuu went to his bag, which was sitting there in the room, and got out his credit card. If they were going to run away, then they needed to have some money to survive. He then walked out and found himself outside Peko's door.

Peko went into her room and brought out her sword sheathed within its bag, which she slung over her shoulder and onto her back. "Let's go," Peko spoke.

The two of them found the front door and ran out. They exited the garden they had and ran down the street as fast as they could. As Kuzuryuu looked over his shoulder, he wondered if anyone had seen them leave. His heart was beating fast. Did Haruka tell his father yet? Surely he was fuming in rage right now, seeking him out. Too bad they wouldn't find him or Peko.

Peko glanced towards him, a worried expression upon her face. She too was concerned that they had been spotted, but Kuzuryuu couldn't see anyone following them.

Their first goal was to get as far away from the house as possible, and then they would figure out what to do next. Kuzuryuu and Peko found themselves running down random streets in unrecognizable areas. They made several twists and turns and soon enough, they were completely lost, away from any place that the yakuza could track them down to.

They stopped when they reached a small cafe. Kuzuryuu and Peko took a seat at one of the tables, but did not order anything. For now, they just had to talk.

"I don't think they'll find us," Kuzuryuu spoke.

Peko nodded. "We've run a far distance."

The yakuza heir looked a little worried, though. They had escaped for now, but his father and the other gang members were probably furious at him. First, for cheating on his wife and impregnating his swordswoman, and second, for having the nerve to run away. If they caught them now, he didn't even want to know what kind of sick punishment he would get. He was from a yakuza family, after all. Nothing was too extreme. When he was younger, sometimes his angry parents would let their frustration out on him. If Peko hadn't been there to help out, he wondered if he would have even survived growing up.

"No turning back now," he muttered. "Now, we just hope..."

Peko frowned. "Fuyuhiko, there must be some place we can stay. We cannot raise a child while homeless," she pointed out. "It cannot be near here, either. We may be far away, but it will not take them more than a week to find us here."

She was completely right. If they wanted to hide somewhere that they'd never be found, they had to chose somewhere much further away. "We could get a motel or something," he suggested. That was really the best they could do, wasn't it? Kuzuryuu tightened his hands into fists. "I fucking hate this!" he cursed. "I wish I could just be with you, Peko! My fucking dad has no right to decide who I marry!" His eyes were beginning to water with his frustration. They shouldn't have to be doing this in order to achieve their rightful happiness.

Peko reached under the table and placed her hand gently on his knee. "It's all right now, Fuyuhiko. We'll find some place where we can raise our baby together..." she whispered, though it was clear she was unsure and broken by the tone she used. She was worried too, being on the run and pregnant with an illegitimate child. Besides, she didn't even know how she was going to raise their baby!

"Peko..." he murmured to her. He could sense her uneasiness. "Peko, I know you're scared. I-I'm..." He began to stutter a little, the tears cracking his voice a little. "Shit, Peko... I'm fucking terrified too. I don't know how we're supposed to be happy together! We can't raise a baby in a fucking motel!" he slammed his fist down on the table, frustration bubbling within him.

The swordswoman frowned, her eyes full of sorrow. "I know we can't, Fuyuhiko," she told him. "But there's got to be another place we can stay. Some place where they won't find us."

Kuzuryuu gritted his teeth together. "Then, where?"

"Perhaps someone from school has a place we could stay?" she suggested, recalling how many friends she had made at Hope's Peak. They were all wonderful people there, so there had to be someone who was kind enough to understand their situation and let them hide with them.

"A place where they won't find us? I don't think so," grumbled Kuzuryuu, placing his palm on her cheek and gripping it tightly. "Besides, it's not like anyone has room to keep us. People we know may be talented, but it's not like they live in fucking castles..."

Peko's eyes lit up as an idea struck her so suddenly it nearly made her jump out of her seat. "That's it, Fuyuhiko!" she cried, sounding more excited than she had ever allowed herself to before. 

Kuzuryuu blinked. "Huh?!" he yelped, thoroughly confused.

"Do you remember Tanaka?" she asked. 

"Of course! He was the one who let you pet his hamsters," Kuzuryuu cried. "You hung out with him often because you wanted to touch the soft animals!"

Peko nodded. "I believe he is married to Sonia now. In Novoselic," she spoke.

Kuzuryuu looked stunned by her words. "What?" He knew just what she was implying, but could they really do something like that? "They won't just let us come into another continent and just stay there! I know Tanaka and you got along, but...!" he protested.

"It's worth a try," Peko said, determination in her voice.

This might be their only chance, Kuzuryuu realized. Novoselic was a far away country, and there was no way they would be found hiding there. Besides, Sonia and Gundam HAD to have some spare space to give to them... right? They were royalty, after all.

Peko and him dashed outside towards a payphone. Kuzuryuu dug a few spare coins out of his pockets and slipped them into the machine.

"Do you know his number?" Kuzuryuu asked.

Peko nodded. "I always kept it in case he wanted to give me another hamster," she admitted. She had always loved things that were fluffy, but she hadn't been able to pet a fluffy animal until Gundam came. He managed to calm his hamsters enough so that they would not be afraid when the fierce swordswoman tried to touch them. She began to dial the number rather quickly, and then held the phone up.

The phone seemed to ring forever. Kuzuryuu felt tense, his stomach clenching up. If he said yes, then this could be their chance. It would mean abandoning his yakuza family, but if he could be with Peko... He frowned. No. He'd come back one day, once his child had grown old enough and his parents even older. Then, he would take his place as boss, and no one could object to his and Peko's relationship. That's what he was going to do.

"Ahahahahaha!" a deep voice laughed out from the other end. "It is I, Gundam Tanaka, supreme dark king of Novoselic! Who is it that wishes to speak with me?" he demanded.

Peko was not at all freaked out by the strange way the man spoke, and just continued on. "It's Pekoyama," she explained.

"Ah, Pekoyama! The noble swordswoman! I have not heard from you in a while. Why have you called for me?" he asked, his voice as dramatic as it always was.

"Well, it's an important matter, and I would like you to hear me out," Peko began. "It might be a lot to ask of you..."

"Hm. I will listen," answered Gundam.

Peko sighed. She looked nervous, not sure how to explain herself. "Tanaka, Fuyuhiko and I have gotten ourselves in to a rough situation. It's our fault, but we need your help. ...Do you happen to have any room in your place at Novoselic?"

There was silence for a while on the other end. "Yes. What for?" asked Gundam.

"Fuyuhiko and I are on the run. We need to hide somewhere," she tried.

Again, he was silent. It took him a few seconds to respond. "I will bring Sonia. Hold on."

Peko was left hanging, holding the phone will giving Kuzuryuu an unsure face. She was worried, but this was their last hope. She wasn't sure what she would do if this didn't work.

Finally, the other end picked up again. "Hello?" came Sonia's voice. "Gundam told me Pekoyama-san needed some assistance?"

"Yeah," responded Peko. "It's quite shameful, but Kuzuryuu and I are on the run from the family and need somewhere far away to hide for a while."

"Oh no! That's terrible, Pekoyama-san!" cried Sonia. "Might I ask why you need to hide?"

Peko gulped, a lump in her throat. Here was the part she was going to have a hard time explaining. "Fuyuhiko... Fuyuhiko and I are... expecting..." she managed.

"Wow!" the princess gasped. "Congratulations! But why is that a reason to hide?"

"Fuyuhiko and I... I am his swordswoman... I am not supposed to be with him in such a way... Fuyuhiko is in an arranged marriage with another woman, and yet, we were so foolish..." Peko admitted to the princess, guilt in her tone.

The other end was quiet for a bit. The swordswoman felt fear pile up within her, eating at her stomach. "I see," Sonia said. "So you are hiding from Kuzuryuu-san's family?"

"Yes," she answered. "I know it is a lot to ask, but Fuyuhiko and I..." She took a deep breath. She had a hard time speaking about her feelings to other people, but she would have to pour her heart out to Sonia if she was going to convince her. "...All we wish for is to be together. But the family will not allow that, and there is nothing else we can do but run. They have found out about our child. We are sure to be punished, and the child will probably be taken from us..." Her heart lurched as she thought of what the family would do with the child. Most likely, they would take her away from her parents and raise her as a tool, just like how Peko was. They would train her and abuse her for years and years until she was just like her mother, a girl who thought of herself of only being an extension of her sword. That was the last thing Peko wanted for her baby. "And... and we just wish to be able to raise our child together... we want her to be happy. And we want to be happy ourselves."

She gulped and waited for a response, her heart beating with the tension.

"I see," Sonia spoke. "I have no problems with letting you stay here!"

Peko's eyes grew wide. "Seriously?" she asked, shock in her voice.

"I understand your situation, and we'd be happy to see you again!" she replied. Peko was sure that on the other side of the line, Sonia was smiling her usual bright grin. "Where is the nearest airport?"

Peko hesitated and looked to Kuzuryuu. "What's the nearest airport?" she asked him. 

"Ah, it's right by here, actually!" Kuzuryuu cried, his voice excited. He recalled the name of the airport and told Peko, who proceeded to repeat it to Sonia.

"I'll send a private jet over. It'll take several hours, though. Just call me when they ask for your tickets and I'll let them know I sent for you," Sonia told them.

"All right!" Peko cried.

"I'll see you soon!" With that, Sonia hung up the phone. Peko's heart was racing, and she turned towards her lover with joy in her eyes. 

Kuzuryuu's eyes were wide. "Well?"

"We can do it," Peko told him. "We can do it!"

When he heard his lover speak, an excitement stronger than any he'd known before bubbled up within him and washed over him like an ocean wave. With a burst of energy, he grabbed Peko and hugged her tightly, laughing with joy. Everything was going to be okay now. They could raise their baby properly and marry without anyone saying no or getting the way. Sure, they were abandoning the yakuza for now, but they'd be back one day, once he felt like he'd be able to face his parents.

Peko leaned in to kiss him passionately on the lips. He held her cheeks gently in his hands and returned it, his face bright red with joy.

They pulled apart. Kuzuryuu was grinning madly, and Peko's smile was more radiant than he had ever seen it. "We're going to be okay, Peko," he spoke, managing to keep an appropriate volume. "We're going to be together."

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, Fuyuhiko. You, me, and our baby..." She reached down to touch the growing lump on her stomach. Now that she knew that she wouldn't have to deal with the yakuza business, it was like an enormous thunder storm had cleared up on her, allowing the first rays of sun to shine through. Sure, she was nervous to raise a baby, but now, she could actually enjoy the fact that they were having a child, rather than worrying about what the family would think. 

"We're having a baby," Kuzuryuu breathed, the fact seeming unreal to him now that he could truly enjoy it. "We're having a baby..." A huge grin spread across his face and he hugged his lover once again, pulling her tightly to him. He could feel the bump on her stomach, where their child was growing slowly. 

Peko held him, watching as excitement grew on his face as he felt her growing stomach. Kuzuryuu looked like he was finally excited to be a father.

They could finally be together, and would remain that way for the rest of their lives.


	22. Prompt: Attack on Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little thing from my Attack on Despair AU: Which is well, basically Dangan Ronpa characters in an Attack on Titan universe. I'm going to probably write something bigger on it later, but this is a short Kuzupeko thing for now.
> 
> I guess it contains spoilers for that universe? Not that anyone that follows me on tumblr is unspoiled for it at all.
> 
> I'll get back to Pokeronpa tomorrow, I just really wanted to write some Attack on Despair Kuzupeko.
> 
> Also please note: My O key is partially fallen off and is annoying as fuck so if there is a missing O anywhere, let me know and I will add one and beat the shit out of my fucking O key. Sorry for the language. I just am really frustrated with my damn keyboard.

There had always been a large height difference between Peko and Kuzuryuu, but this was just ridiculous. The already very short former gangster stood rather dangerously close to one of Peko's enormous titan feet. If this were any other titan, he would obviously not stand so close to her foot, which could easily crush him as if he were no more than an ant. But this was Peko, and he trusted her beyond anything... Even if she had been hiding this secret from him their entire lives.

Kuzuryuu had to tilt his head all the way back to get a good look at her. She still looked like Peko, only much, much bigger. She had deep red eyes that retained the ferocity they had in her human form as well as a head of long gray hair, falling loose down her shoulders in messy locks. She was obviously different from other titans, considering the fact that her titan form was very noticeably female, but with strong muscles that he had seen her use to smash others in order to protect him.

Yes, she was quite clearly Peko Pekoyama in every single way. And that included her personality, Kuzuryuu decided.

He sighed. "Damn, no matter how much our relationship changes, I'm always smaller than you," he observed. "I guess it can't be helped though, can it?"

Peko looked down at him from up above. She blinked a few times, but obviously said nothing. She was not capable of speech in this form.

"Still, though," he spoke, gazing up at her astounding height. "I wonder what it's like to be tall. Fuck..." he cursed, thinking of how numerous others had teased him for his height, especially when he was still a trainee. "I'll never understand..."

Suddenly, Peko moved, causing Kuzuryuu to automatically stumble backwards in fear of being accidentally stepped on. She crouched down to the ground, resting her knees on the soft grass beneath them. She leaned forward so that her face was at level with his body, her very familiar red eyes focused on the much smaller Kuzuryuu.

He jumped in surprise. He could feel her breath on his body, and he almost felt as though he was going to be tossed over. "Uh... Hey," he greeted, not sure what else to say.

She blinked at him and let out a low grumble, one of the only sounds she was capable of making. Her voice was deeper, but so similar to her normal one. Kuzuryuu wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say, but he just smiled at her. "You're really big, Peko," he commented.

Without warning, the titan Peko's hand reached out towards his tiny body. He almost reflexively reached for his blades, but his hands froze right above them. He had been in the grasp of a titan before and it was one of the most unpleasant and horrifying sensations he had ever felt, but this was Peko. She did not try to crush him, but simply pinched the back of his shirt with her fingers. Suddenly, she began to stand up again, lifting up the boy with her. He was dangling several meters above the ground and looking directly down at the grass. If she were to drop him, he probably wouldn't make it from this height.

Her hand reached up towards her shoulder, where she placed the boy down. Her fingers removed themselves from the back of his shirt and went back to her side. Kuzuryuu stood up shakily and looked forward. He could see far out from here, at the forests and the ruined towns that lay ahead. One day, he hoped to reclaim them from the titans and then venture outside the walls, seeing what had been rightfully stolen from humanity. That was one of the reasons he joined the military, after all.

The sun was beginning to set, melting the sky into a mixture of bright orange and pink. He grasped onto strands of her long, white hair tightly as he enjoyed the view. He had seen the sunset before, but for some reason, it seemed more beautiful at that moment. Peko was also looking out at what lay ahead, but it wasn't as though she hadn't seen such a sight before. "Is this what it's like to be tall?" he muttered, amazement in his voice as his eyes drunk in the rays of color in the sky.

Peko looked at the boy out of the corner of her eye.

"I mean, not everyone is fifteen meters, but still," he spoke, holding on even tighter to her hair. "It's really beautiful, Peko. Thank you."

Peko seemed to smile a little bit, but it was hard to tell from where he was standing on her shoulder.

Kuzuryuu watched the sunset and sighed, recalling what had happened before. He had been rather shocked when she first reveled her titan form to him, but quickly got over it. No matter what, she was still Peko. She just had the ability to shift into a titan, but that didn't make her any less human. Knowing her secret now, he understood why Peko had always spoken of herself the way that she did.

Tool, monster, inhuman... Those were just some of the ways she had described herself. She truly did not think of herself as human. Peko hadn't told him much about how she had come to obtain this power, and all he knew was that it was the result of something his family had done to her. It was more than likely that they forced her titan power onto her when she was still helplessly young, in order to make her a stronger "tool" for him to use. It was no wonder that she had called herself these things. She had likely been raised to think of herself as not only his tool, but a monstrous titan who had no right to be seen as anything human.

The reaction the other members of the military had when they had come across her only enforced this. Some of them had freaked out, calling her a monster, demanding that they lock her up because she was sure to kill someone. She was a titan, after all.

But Kuzuryuu... he had been shocked, of course, but in the end, she was still Peko. She was not like those titans that destroyed the walls and ate humans for little reason. No. She was a human who had been granted the power to become a titan for the sake of fighting against them. Her titan hands would never have the blood of a human on them.

"You know, Peko," he suddenly spoke up. "You're human."

She seemed rather surprised by his sudden words and looked at him curiously.

"It's true," he told her, his voice full of honesty. "You're not really a titan. I know you call yourself a monster and my tool, but you're really not. I don't give a shit about what my fucked up family must have said...." He gritted his teeth together. He knew what horrible ways that his family had treated her before, but now that he knew that they had forced her to become a titan, he wondered what other awful things they could have done that he didn't know about. "But you're just as important as everyone else, including me, okay? So don't call yourself a monster.

Peko didn't react for a few moments and just gazed at him.

"My family might have called you some fucked up things... but that doesn't matter. Because you're human to me," he spoke, his heat racing as he poured out his feelings. He was rather nervous, wondering how she would react. He wondered why he was so scared. It wasn't as though he confessed his love to her. No. He would wait until she was ready to admit that herself.

Slowly, the titan Peko began to smile, just a little brighter than before. She reached her hand out and gently nudged him with her finger and grunted out an appreciative mutter. He nearly stumbled over as her enormous finger poked his small body.

"Ah!" he cried out. "Shit! Careful, Peko! I might fall!" He was practically hugging her long strands of hair now for his life.

Peko quickly withdrew her hand, a concerned look on her face. Once she saw that he was perfectly fine, she looked away and made a noise that sounded rather oddly like a laugh. It was strange, hearing such a thing coming from a titan, but it made him smile.

One day, he would get her to accept her humanity, Kuzuryuu decided. Today might not be the day, but it would definitely happen. After all, she was nothing but human.


	23. Prompt: "Non-Despair"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, you might be thinking that this is the same as the other one. no. this is another version. a more realistic version of what would happen in a non-despair AU between kuzu and peko
> 
> trigger warnings for blood, death, suicide, murder... you know, all that stuff.

He could still remember the moment she died. 

It had been when he was twenty-four years old. There had been a threat on the Kuzuryuu household by an enemy group, but they were not nearly as strong as the Kuzuryuu group and it was not taken quite so seriously. That's why when hundreds of their gangsters came to the Kuzuryuu household in order to kill and capture their enemies, no one was prepared.

They came after him first, the next in line to the family. They had intentions to capture him and hold him for ransom, or so the family theorized. His swordswoman, Peko, immediately jumped to her feet to defend him. She was skilled and noble, but no training could have prepared her for the unexpectedly strong attack.

She had been running behind him as they attempted to escape from the house unharmed, fighting off foes that tried to trail behind him. They had been moments away from leaving the property when four enemy swordsmen who had been guarding the entrances ran after them, their sharps swords ready to tear into his flesh.

But it hadn't been his blood that they spilled. 

Peko had stabbed the first swordsman fatally and attacked the second, who had been the next closest to Kuzuryuu. She fought with as much skill and power as she had always had, and there was no doubt in Kuzuryuu's mind that she could successfully defend him. How would this time be different from the many other times she had saved him?

But the third and fourth swordsmen suddenly stopped their attack on Kuzuryuu, and instead turned towards Peko. The second one had fought her while the third grabbed hold of her so that the fourth could raise his sword and stab her straight through the chest.

"PEKO!" Kuzuryuu could remember screaming as her blood splattered everywhere. It didn't seem real to him, at the time. His Peko was so strong. She couldn't just die, not to these men. He looked on in disbelief with his heart frozen in place as Peko dropped from the man's arm and hit the ground with a hollow thud, a look of eternal shock plastered on her face.

He had stood there motionless, as if his feet had sprouted deep routs within the ground below him. He waited for Peko to stumble up, her sword in hand, making a noble come back and destroying the unsuspecting swordsman. But she didn't. Her body didn't even twitch as the swordsman pushed it aside and ran after him, their swords ready to cut.

Kuzuryuu had looked at the man's sword, which was stained with Peko's crimson red blood. He knew death awaited him, but for some reason, he found that he didn't care. If anything, it felt fitting that the very sword that had slain Peko moments before was going to end his life too, splattering his blood and combining it with hers.

Before the sword could kill him, however, a hand grabbed his and tugged him away. It was the hand of his younger sister, who had caught up. All Kuzuryuu could remember after that was being dragged away as he looked behind at where Peko's fallen body lay.

He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

Kuzuryuu had gotten out alive, but he felt as though he had truly died on that day along with the swordswoman who had stood by his side since birth, who he had wished would spend every day of their lives together just the same. In his wildest dreams, he had pictured her holding his hand as not his swordswoman or tool, but his equal. She had always believed herself to be nothing more than a tool, but he knew that was wrong and tried to convince her otherwise so many times. He wondered if she had known how he felt about her. 

She probably didn't.

When Kuzuryuu had caught up with his parents, he had told them the bad news.

"Fuyuhiko, you're alive," greeted his father without much emotion. He didn't sound particularly relieved, it was simply a statement.

"Yes," Kuzuryuu replied, his eyes still watering. "But Peko died, Dad," he told him, his heart feeling like it had been shattered in two.

His dad raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kuzuryuu nodded but said nothing.

"Well, we'll find you another tool, no matter," his father responded without a care in the world. He turned around and walked away to talk to his wife, leaving a stunned Kuzuryuu behind. 

Kuzuryuu didn't know what he had been expecting. Peko was only a tool to them, and it was obvious that was the reaction he was going to get from her death. Her life was of no importance in their eyes. Tears streaked down his face as he clutched his hand to his chest, thinking of her. She was dead and the only one who cared was him.

Once the Kuzuryuu family had fought down the other after several hours, he returned to his house. The first thing he did was find her body.

She was lying just as she had been. He crotched down beside her motionless body and observed his dearest friend. Her chest had a gaping wound in it, where she had been pierced by that man's sword. Her cold hand was gripping her own sword tin a firm grasp, having not even let go of it when she died. Her red eyes were left wide open, shock shining in them behind her broken, bloody glasses.

He touched her hand, as he had always done before. Except this time, her hand was cold and did not hold his back.

The Kuzuryuu family never had time to bury the bodies of dead tools nor did they particularly care, so Peko wasn't given a proper funeral. Kuzuryuu had to carry her dead body himself and then set it ablaze, watching as the remains of her burnt to only ashes. Uncontrollable tears flooded down his face as he got his very last look at his swordswoman, his lifelong friend, and the girl he had always dreamt of staying with forever.

He collected her ashes, making sure to gather up every last bit he could get his hands on. There was no part of her he wanted to lose. He placed them within a locket he had bought with the money he had, which was meant to store the ashes of a loved one.

He wore that locket around his neck every day, every night. Kuzuryuu would hold it to him as he cried himself to sleep, desperately clinging onto what little remained of her.

There wasn't much to remember her by, the locket aside. He had taken the shinai she had used to train all her life and hung it on the wall to honor her, though no one else understood why. His father had asked him if he had become interested in training for kendo. The only person who had even the faintest idea was his young sister, who would give him a sorrowful look every time she saw him mourning.

Aside from that, he had a few photographs of her, but she was never smiling in them. There were a couple of her practicing kendo and a few of her just minding her own business, but in all of them she looked as cold and stern as she usually did. There were plenty of photos of the two of them as babies, back when they were too young to understand the cruelty of their situation.

There was one particular baby picture Kuzuryuu found himself looking at often. He and Peko had been laid out next to each other, with one of her tiny arms around the toy sword that she had been given shortly after she was taken in. The other hand was balled into a little fist, gently nudging the baby boy next to her, who was drooling with a little bit of a concerned look on his face. He would smile at it sadly, unable to remember such a time but knowing that it existed. He and Peko had been together since they were babies, hadn't they? Besides the little more than a month baby Peko had spent in the house before his birth, they had never been apart.

She had always been by his side. It felt so wrong that he couldn't feel her anymore.

Aside from the baby photos, there was only one photo that they were in together. 

Kuzuryuu sat on his bed, holding the photo with a tight grip. His watery eyes were focused on the picture of him and Peko sitting together in the garden. He had been laughing loudly at some lame joke he himself had made, he remembered. It was hard to tell, but if Kuzuryuu squinted, he could make out a small smile on the face of the now deceased swordswoman, the only smile he had left of her.

He dropped the photo on his nightstand and burred his face into his hands, trying to control the tears that were rolling down his face. He felt so empty on the inside without her here, like there was no one left for him. As he began to sob, one hand reached to clutch the locket hung around his neck and hold it gently to his heart.

"I miss you, Peko," he whispered. "I don't know what to do without you here!"

He fell asleep with his hands grasping onto her locket, burred underneath the sheets that provided him with the only warmth he had left. But even in his dreams, he was not safe. Every night, he would dream of that same moment when he had watched the man plunge his sword into her chest and let her fall to the ground with a thud that forever echoed within his mind. He was forced to watch it over and over again, helpless. He could not reach out to save her, because his dreams would not allow him to. He simple had to observe and suffer through the pain of losing her thousands of times over each night.

Often times, he would wake up screaming.

His father had quickly gotten him a new bodyguard who frequently stood by his side, but he was of no comfort of Kuzuryuu. He was simply a reminder of what he had once had, and what he would never have again. Whenever the swordsman defended him or engaged in battle, the only thing he could think of was how it was supposed to be Peko fighting for him, not this strange man that his father had hired. 

"I don't understand why you've been so upset, Fuyuhiko," his father had told him one day. "Nothing has changed as of recently, so there is no reason for you to be upset. Pull yourself together."

No reason, huh... Kuzuryuu thought to himself as he rubbed his finger down her locket. Like his father would understand what a "simple tool" had meant to him, even if that "tool" had been his closest friend and by his side his entire life. He just couldn't comprehend the fact that Peko actually meant something more than an extension of the sword she wielded. 

Could they really not see what that girl had meant to him? They had been so close. To him, she meant everything in the whole world. She was brilliant, beautiful, and formidable in every single way, from how she would slash her sword to the way she would greet him in the morning and smile just a bit at his lame jokes. 

His heart ached. How he longed to feel her again, to be with her. Even though he had known it could never be, there had always been a part of him that wished to hold her close and pour his entire heart out to her. He didn't know when exactly, but a long time ago, he had fallen in love.

The problem was that even though she was dead, he was still deeply in love with her. 

Sometimes, he would daydream that she was still here, pretending that she would come home to greet him and that he would be able to wrap his arms around her and kiss her upon the lips. He would then stroke her back lovingly and whisper words of affection into her ear, watching as her face lit up a bright pink. He dreamt that she too would hold him and return the kiss with just as much love as he had, then returning his sweet words with some of her own. They would both laugh and kiss each other some more, bathing in their love for one another. 

Kuzuryuu hugged his pillow to his chest, pretending it was her warm body instead. "I love you, Peko," he whispered into it. "I love you more than anything in the whole world, and I want you to be by my side forever. Not as my tool, but as my wife, Peko..."

Of course, the pillow said nothing back. 

He wondered what Peko would say, if she could hear him now. Would she be surprised at his feelings for her? Would she accept them, or would she reject them? He would never know if she felt the same way he felt about her, because he was dead and there was no one left to return his intense love. 

His eyes suddenly shot wide open as a chill shuddered through the room. It was not a normal chill, however. It was a feeling that held a strange layer of warmth to it, like something he had felt before. His hand reached up into the air and he grasped onto a fist full of it, squeezing his knuckles tightly.

Kuzuryuu could feel something... or rather, he could feel someone.

"Peko?" he whispered to the empty room. "Is that you, Peko?"

There was another breeze, but all was quiet. The oddly warm feeling began to move closer towards him, until it was hovering right above his bed. His hand once again reached out and gently began to touch the air above him, as if there was something to feel in the first place. "Peko?" he whispered to the air. "Oh Peko, is it you?"

He gazed into nothingness and his eyes widened as he felt the feeling rest on top of him, enveloping him in a layer of familiar warmth. His eyes watered as he drank in the loving presence he had been forced to live without. "Peko, oh Peko..." he whispered. "It is you. I can feel you. You came to see me..."

His hands grasped desperately for someone to hold, but all there was was a lingering warmth enveloping him, as though her own hands were holding his body tightly. Kuzuryuu could recognize her presence, because there had not been a moment he didn't feel it before she had passed away. The last few weeks, there had only been the cold, but now, she was there. He knew she was there.

He smiled just a little for the first time in weeks as tears streamed down his cheeks. "I love you, Peko," he told the air. "And I missed you so much... I wish I could touch you..." Though he could feel that she was there, his hands were grasping at thin air. How he longed to feel her warm skin and hold her tightly, but this would have to do. "Do you love me, Peko? I never got to ask you..."

The room was quiet, but a graze of overwhelming warmth tugged at him. He gasped loudly, more tears flowing into his eyes. "Oh, Peko," he whispered. "You love me? You truly do?"

He felt an affirmative wave of heat overtake him, and he smiled widely. "I love you too, Peko," he told the presence. "Come stay here with me. I want you to be here by my side. I've felt so lost without you."

There was a chill that ran down him, as if Peko's spirit was telling him that she could not remain. His heart sank. "But why, Peko?" he asked, desperation in his voice. "Why can't you stay?"

The spirit told him what he had already known: that she was dead, and there was no way she could stay by his side like this. She was nothing more than a ghost now, but she could be with him like this just for now. He nodded and cuddled into his covers, allowing Peko's spirit to embrace him fully, filling him completely with her intense love for him and the presence he had missed so much.

For the first time in weeks, he had slept peacefully, wrapped in the arms of his lover. 

Peko had gone the next morning, and all Kuzuryuu could feel was an overwhelming wave of loss as he realized the warmth she had given him was no longer there. The weight of her loss hit him that much harder as he drunk in the cold nothingness around him and choked up a small sob. He had missed her so much and now, she was gone again.

He could barely make it through that day. All his mind could focus on was the overwhelming emptiness that stood in her place, following him and looming over him like a demon in the shadows. He didn't speak to anyone unless they initiated conversation, in which case he would respond laconically. He didn't want to talk with anyone, because none of them could understand his pain.

That night, Peko's spirit did not come. He was forced to sleep blanketed in the loneliness her loss left behind, his hand clutching onto her locket. He wished that her spirit would come again to bathe him in her warmth and love, to feel her one last time. Perhaps, though, that night was his last time...

Days dragged on into weeks, and suddenly, more responsibilities were being thrown onto the already stressed Kuzuryuu. 

"I've gotten a list of quite a few women for you, Fuyuhiko," his father had told him. "I'll have them come in to interview, and I'll allow you to chose whichever one you like."

Fuyuhiko's head snapped up at his father. "For... marriage?" he asked unsteadily, though he already knew what the answer was.

"Of course. We need to have you married by the end of the month, I'd say," his father explained. "We have lots of women for you, so there should be no trouble in finding you a suitable wife."

Fuyuhiko's heart froze. He had always known that he was destined to marry one that his father had chosen, but he had wanted to forget about it, especially now that Peko was gone. 

...Peko. If he could, he would have married Peko in a heartbeat. He would be overjoyed to be wedded to her, but it could never be. Even if she were still alive, Peko was only seen as a tool, and not as a possible wife. If his father knew about how he felt for his swordswoman, then he would be absolutely furious. He couldn't imagine the consequences both him and Peko would have had to face, but they would not have been very kind. Of course, she was dead, so it wasn't even a possibility now.

He simply nodded. Peko was dead now, right? So he could move on. He had to find another wife anyhow, so it didn't matter how he felt. Maybe he should really try to meet these women. Maybe he would like one of them...

Fuyuhiko thought about this as he lay in his empty bed. However, all his mind could focus on was the image of Peko wearing beautiful wedding gowns, smiling at him with her beautiful yet almost unseen smile as he approached her, dressed in his own traditional clothing. He could imagine him hold her hands as they exchanged vows, looking into each other's eyes with pure love, oblivious to anything else around them. He could picture her gentle lips reaching forward to passionately kiss him as they were declared husband and wife, and the love and eagerness he would return it with.

He shook the thought out of his head. Peko was dead, so he had to move on and pick another wife. He wondered how many women his father had for him. What were they like? What kind of woman would he want to marry, anyways?

Peko popped into his mind again, and his eyes widened. Yes, he would love to marry Peko, but who else? His brain searched and searched for an answer, but all that came to his head was the beautiful face of his deceased swordswoman, who he so desperately longed for.

"I can't do this!" he cried, slamming his fist down into the mattress. "I can't just marry someone! I'm already in love!"

Love. He was in love with Peko. Present tense. In love with Peko, even though she was now long dead. Try as he might, he could not shake his feelings for his deceased friend. His heart throbbed and ached as he pictured her form in his mind. Her soft, silver hair, her deep blood red eyes which appeared to be so fierce... Everything about her was perfect.

But she was dead.

He burst into uncontrollable tears, sobbing openly into his pillow. The image of her would not leave his head, and his heart would not stop longing for her touch. 

He would marry someone else, but he realized then that his heart had already belonged to a dead woman.

The search started and his father began to present beautiful women of all kinds to him, telling him that he could marry any one of them he wanted. He had all the choices in the world, aside from the one that he desired. Every woman shown to him, he would quickly turn down. He was searching through them, trying to find someone who would at least make him somewhat happy, but not one of them was good for him.

He must have gone through a hundred women when his father got irritated.

"What's wrong with you, Fuyuhiko?" shouted father Kuzuryuu. "If given you a fucking ton of options, and you're saying no to all of them?"

He hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Father..."

"No apologizes!" snapped the man. "Just fucking choose someone already, for god's sake!"

Eventually, Kuzuryuu gave up and chose a woman who was kind yet powerful, someone who wouldn't cause him so much trouble. He was wedded to her shortly after at a traditional wedding ceremony held in their honor. There were some who were cheerful on that day, but it certainly wasn't Kuzuryuu. All he could think of was how Peko could be dressed in his wife's robes, and how he could be looking into her bright red eyes instead of those deep blue ones 

He slept alone for most of that night. He was now just a miserable lump, unable to do anything to make himself feel better. He was out of options, because he had been stupid enough to fall in love with his swordswoman in the first place. If only things were different. If only she were still alive... even if he couldn't marry her, he could still try to be with her. It would be so horribly wrong, but behind his wife's back, he could steal kisses from his swordswoman and express his deepest love to her. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was better than this.

"Why?" he choked into his pillow. "Why, Peko? Why did you have to die? I'm so alone here, Peko! I have a wife and yet I feel so alone! I don't know what to do anymore, Peko!"

A gentle breeze swayed the trees outside the window, and he felt just the faintest touch of warmth. Jolting up, Kuzuryuu focused his eyes on the corner, where the heat was coming from.

He gasped as it got closer, reaching out for him. Kuzuryuu felt his eyes begin to tear up as he recognized the feeling from many, many weeks before. "Peko!" he cried out into the darkness, his voice full of both relief and awful pain. "Oh, Peko!"

Her spirit came closer, until she was enveloping him within her warmth. He sighed as the soothing presence he had missed so much washed over him, the warmth of her burning love calming his nerves.

"Peko, I've missed you," he whispered into the air.

There was a shift in Peko's spirit, as if she were replying. For some reason, to him, it felt like she was agreeing.

He smiled widely, enjoying the feeling of having her near him. He basked in her warmth, until a nudge in his head reminded him of the events that had taken place today. He instantly frowned.

"I got married today, Peko," he told the air.

Peko's spirit shifted, telling him that she already knew.

"I got married to some woman I didn't really want to marry," he whispered, pain throbbing in his heart as he let those words out into the open air. There had been no one to tell that to before, but now that Peko was here, he could finally share his feelings with someone who would understand. "I... I didn't want to get married... to her..."

He balled his hands into tight fists, trying to control the tears he knew were to come. "It's so dumb, Peko, but the whole time, I was thinking about you!" he admitted. "I thought about, how if things were different, then maybe it would have been you and I getting married instead!"

Peko's presence turned cold for a second, as if she was telling him no, reminding him that no matter what, he couldn't have ever married her.

"But even so, Peko!" he cried out. "I could have still had you! I don't care about marriage or any of that shit! I could have taken you and ran far away from here, where my family couldn't find us! Then, they could never say no!" He had thought of this several times, the guilt weighing down in his heart. Yes, he did want to be a yakuza boss, but if he could marry Peko, then he would have taken her hand and run away from this mess a long time ago.

There was a calming aura that Peko then emitting, silencing his cries. She wrapped herself around him, soothing him with the feeling of the deep love she held for him. "I... I see..." he whispered, drinking in her thoughts. She was telling him that it would have been wonderful, but that he could not hang onto what could have been. He had to move on, Peko's spirit told him. She was dead and she could do nothing but sometimes visit him during the night, so there was no way they could have a relationship.

He gritted his teeth, not wanting to accept Peko's words. "I still love you, Peko," he told her.

Peko gave him a shiver of understanding, but told him that she was simply holding him back. There was a feeling of deep remorse flooding from her into him, causing his eyes to widen. He told her silently that she would visit him no more, because she was only causing him pain and that with her here, he would never be able to find happiness in his life.

"Wait, Peko!" he cried out, gasping out as he listened to her thoughts. However, the warm presence quickly faded away into nothing but bitter, cold emptiness, leaving not even a wisp of what she once held. He felt like he had been stabbed in the heart by the sudden absence of her spirit, leaving him in nothing but stone cold reality.

He lay awake in his bed for the rest of the night.

Months and months flew by. As it turned out, the wife Kuzuryuu had chosen was very caring towards him. She would always ask him what was bothering him on days where he showed more pain than others, and would always attempt to cheer him up in some shape or form. He appreciated how lovely his wife was to him, but all he could feel on the inside was horrid guilt. He did not deserve this woman, who was so openly kind towards him. Thinking about Peko's words, he tried so hard to push himself to care and love this woman like a husband should, but he found that he just could not. 

Whenever his wife kissed him gently upon the lips, he would feel as though his heart had turned to ice, and he found that he could not return it, as much as he wanted to. With each day he spent, the harder it grew for him to face his reality.

His wife was lovely, and he wished that he could love back the way she loved him, but he simply could not. His heart had been ripped into pieces and was unable to love anyone anymore, except for a single swordswoman who had long ago passed. Each moment he spent around her was a reminder of how he failed to move on, of how he could not drag himself away from the thought of her.

Peko had wanted him to move on so that he could be happy, but there was no happiness that awaited him anymore. Not without her.

"You're always so down," observed his wife one night, while they were sitting in his room, a frown on her face. "Fuyuhiko, I wish I knew how I could help you."

She placed her hands upon his cheeks and kissed him deeply, but the warmth on her lips failed to spread through him. It was only an ice cold reminder of how he could never be worthy of the love this woman was giving him. He was just awful.

His wife sighed. "I want to help you, Fuyuhiko. Please tell me if there's anything I can do," she whispered, caressing her husband's cheek gently in a failed attempted to reassure him. Then, she got up and walked out of the room, leaving behind a desolate, suffering Kuzuryuu, who could only clench his teeth at her offer.

He clutched the locket he had always worn to his chest. Without Peko, there was nothing left for him in this world. He was doomed to live this miserable life with a wife he could not love and a family that he hated. The agony of not having his swordswoman by his side ripped him to pieces every single second he spent living. The very memory of her and the things that they had done was tearing at him, grasping at his throat with sharp claws that dug into his very soul and caused him to bleed out pain.

"Peko," he whispered to the locket, desperation in his voice. "I can't do this anymore. Please come out."

Moments of silence went by, but there was no response from the swordswoman. He gritted his teeth, wanting to cry out in frustration. He needed to see her, he just had to. He couldn't go on like this, spending each day in seething pain. Perhaps he was surviving on, but it certainly wasn't living!

He was about to give up and leave when a breeze came through, bringing with it a presence he had missed so much. His eyes widened, hope shining within them. For once in the last few months, he felt happy. "Peko!" he cried out to the spirit.

However, the feelings she brought with her were not warm at all, causing his happiness to instantly fade away, as if it had never existed in the first place. Peko was in agony herself, watching Kuzuryuu. She told him that she could not bear to see him suffer the way he was now. The suffering she felt reached out to Kuzuryuu, who responded mutually.

"I can't go on like this anymore. You can't go on like this anymore," he whispered to the spirit. "Every moment I spend without you is killing me, Peko!"

Peko let out a message of sorrowful understanding. She told him that she hated how he was feeling, and wished there was something she could do.

"I'm still in love with you, Peko," he reminded her, his voice cracking up. "I tried so hard to love my wife but I just couldn't. All I can think about is you, Peko. I can't live without you here, Peko!" His cries echoed throughout the room, until it faded into pure silence. Peko herself was quiet, until she decided to express her feelings to him once again.

She told him that she loved him more than anything else, and that she too had been suffering, not just from watching him, but from being alone. She may be able to visit him like this, but she wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him. Kuzuryuu lunged his hand forward and plunged it into the air in front of him, desperately feeling around for some sort of part of her. But she was nothing but a spirit that could not be felt in any way physically, only communicating through waves of emotion. She then told him that she wished she could be beside her, living with him, loving him as they had always wanted.

Kuzuryuu gritted his teeth as he listened to her, his heart screaming out. He could feel her, but it wasn't enough anymore. He was aching to wrap his arms around her body and hold her close to him, laughing as he stared into those deep red eyes he had always loved. Being able to sense her, but not to be with her... It was just torture. He felt like he was being choked up, like he could hardly breath anymore without screaming out in searing pain as though he had been stabbed through the heart as she had.

He was so desperate to feel her again, to be with her. But there was nothing he could do anymore, not here.

He looked up into the air, where she would have been standing if he could see her. "I'm coming," he told her, a sudden firmness in his voice. "I'm going to join you, Peko."

Peko seemed rather startled, but before she could protest, he cut her off. "Every moment of my life has been pure agony since you died, Peko. I will never be happy again unless I'm with you. I've tried so hard to be happy and to love my wife and the things I have, but it's just so wrong without you. I've been so lost and confused without you by my side, and it hurts to keep on walking," he gushed out, tears trickling down his eyes as he poured his thoughts out. "But there is a way we can still be together, right?"

The spirit didn't say anything for a bit, but them let out a low affirmative shiver.

"Then I've decided. There's nothing here for me in this life anymore, so I will come to you, Peko!" he cried out. Whipping around, Fuyuhiko turned towards his nightstand and desperately began digging about, until his hand rested upon a single, silver gun. He pulled it out and quickly checked to see if it was loaded or not. It wasn't, so he pulled out a packet of ammo and quickly began to place the bullets within the chamber.

He closed it and then turned to face Peko, who was watching but saying nothing at all, not even bothering to tell him to stop. He couldn't see her, but in a few seconds, he would be able to, he told himself. He jabbed the barrel of the gun to his head and smiled weakly as he focused his eyes upon the spot where Peko's spirit lay waiting for him. He could tell that she was longing for him as he had longed for her all these months. 

It had been too long since he had properly seen his Peko. Finally, he would be free...

The whole house heard as a shot rang out from Kuzuryuu's room.

Kuzuryuu's father jumped to his feet, startled. He ran down the hallway and quickly pulled open the door to his son's room, where he was met by the site of Kuzuryuu laying dead, a hole through his hand and his hand still gripping the gun that had killed him.

He dropped down beside his son, his eyes wide and devastated. "Why?" he whispered, incredibly confused. "What made him do this?"

His eyes fixed upon the locket that his son had always worn. He had never paid much attention to it before, but suddenly, he was oddly curious. His hand reached for the chain around Kuzuryuu's neck and gently pulled it off.

He held the locket carefully, and slowly opened it. Inside were the thick, black ashes of someone who had clearly passed away. His father grew even more confused. Who did these belong to?

Out of the corner of his eye, Kuzuryuu's father caught site of something laying on his son's nightstand. Curiously, he walked over to investigate. It was a pile of photographs. He flipped through them, furrowing his brows together as he tried to piece together what his son must have been thinking in his last moments. All of these were pictures of a girl with silver hair, a sword in her hand or slung over her back. He didn't quite understand until he got to the last photo.

His son was in it, and he was laughing so happily sitting beside the girl, who had a a very small smile on her face at the sight of him. Slowly, Kuzuryuu's father's eyes traveled to the wall, where a single shinai was always kept.

Suddenly, he realized why his son had refused all the women he offered him, and just why he had taken his own life.


	24. Prompt: Despair AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You remember those two prompts about when Kuzu and Peko had a baby in despair? Well, it sort of spun off into a whole AU, this time where despair lasted a ton longer and Peko did not throw away the baby.
> 
> This is a particularly disturbing chapter, just warning some of you. Complete list below 
> 
> WARNINGS FOR: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Mentions of Sexual Activity (but nothing explicit. sorry guys, not that kind of author), Blood, Gore, Death, Murder, Mentions of teenage pregnancy, pregnancy...
> 
> Last, but certainly not least: Warning for some Incredibly Disturbing Themes.

The streets of what was formerly known as one of Japan's most populated cities was nearly desolate now. Buildings had toppled over and left behind piles of rubble splattered by crimson from the numerous people who had been unfortunate enough to be crushed by them. The street smelled of rotten flesh that no one had bothered to get rid of and thick blood, both fresh and old.

Of course, that didn't mean people never came. No, in fact, several humans would sometimes visit to try to remove the rubble and salvage out what they could in order to "move forward" and restore the city to its original state. However, it was a dangerous job, not just because of all the rotten bodies they were dealing with and the huge pieces of debris. Nearby, a despair darker than anywhere else lurked... the very heart of despair itself.

A young woman named Peko Pekoyama walked down the dead streets without a hint of fear or remorse in her eyes. She had with her a sharp sword with a shiny, silver blade that had taken the lives of thousands, all of them by her own hand. Her hair was silver and she kept it in a single, long ponytail that snaked its way down her back. The aura she gave off was dark and threatening, but the feature that granted that was her blood red eyes filled with despair and not a hint of mercy. Looking into her eyes was to be looking into the face of death itself. So many people had breathed their last gazing into them.

However, although the woman was incredibly ruthless, there was a rather odd part about her. As she walked down the streets, she had with her a baby that was probably just a few months old strapped to her front and sleeping peacefully through the streets, immune to the despair her mother gave off. Behind Peko trailed a young girl around eight years with bright blonde hair and green eyes with a perfectly content and rather excited look on her face, as though her mother was not some kind of murderous monster. The little girl wore a long bag strapped around her shoulder and resting on her back, containing some sort of narrow, long object. At a quick glance, it was easy to tell that the girl was carrying a sword of her own in there.

Peko came to a halt suddenly, about halfway down a street. She glanced to her left and saw a dark alleyway that contained the presence of life within it. She made a quick turn and strode towards the darkness, her hand clutched tightly onto the hilt of her sword.

Her blood red gaze pierced through the dark and scanned the alley. It was almost silent, save for the sound of heavy breathing coming from somewhere within a pile of trash. She walked over to it and briskly pulled away the garbage covering the form of a man, whose face turned completely pale.

"Don't kill me!" he cried out. "I wasn't doing anything here! There's no reason to kill me!" His voice was desperate, begging Peko for his life with ever fiber of his being. Then, his eyes rested upon the baby strapped to her, and a glimmer of hope shone in his gaze. This woman was a mother, so she would not kill him, right?

Peko did not bat an eye at the man before she raised her sword and placed it above the man's head. She watched as the man's hopeful expression diminished and was replaced by pure despair when he realized that this woman would not give him mercy despite the fact that she had a baby and a child with her. The swordswoman gave him just enough time for despair to consume his entire being before she brought the sword down on him and cut him almost in half with her blade.

Crimson blood splattered everywhere on the wall and onto Peko. The baby strapped to her shifted a little, but was otherwise undisturbed by the blood spilling. The swordswoman lightly rubbed a drop of blood that had gotten on her baby's head off, and then looked at the smudge on her finger.

"Wow, Mommy!" cried the little girl, awe in her voice. "That was really awesome!"

Peko looked down to her older daughter and nodded. "Thank you." She didn't smile at her, because these days, she never grinned at all.

The little girl looked up to her mother, excitement painting her face. "Can you let me do that?" she begged, her eyes gleaming. "I want to kill people like that, too!"

A bloodstained hand reached down to gently rub the top of the girl's head with as much affection as the swordswoman knew how to show. "Of course," she told her daughter. "You're too young to kill without assistance, but it will be easy for you soon enough. You're already very good at sword fighting, as much as I was when I was your age."

The young girl beamed with pride. She looked up to her mother greatly and aspired to be exactly like her, learning and mastering the use of the sword. Peko, who had grown up without any parental figures, was happy to raise her daughter the only way she knew how to. When her daughter was still a baby, she had allowed her to play with her shinai and helped her learn to use it properly as she grew, much like when Peko herself was younger. She as well as her daughter had learned how to fight with a sword the same way a regular child would learn how to walk, or how to speak. 

At a very young age, Peko had taken her out into the destroyed world and showed her daughter how to kill people brutally with her sword, though the little girl had not yet killed anyone herself. She simply allowed her to watch. As a girl that was raised watching her mother murder, she thought it was perfectly natural and saw nothing wrong about what she was learning. She knew no better.

The baby currently strapped to her would grow up the same way. Peko didn't know how to care for children because she herself was never given proper treatment as a child. From the moment she was taken in, she was raised to fight and kill for the sake of her young master. Peko was simply mimicking her own upbringing, albeit a little more brutally. 

"Natsuko," Peko addressed the little girl. "There is no one out at this time. It is lucky we came across anyone at all. We will head back now."

Natsuko frowned. "But Mommy!" she protested. "Don't I get I turn? I brought my sword and everything!"

"Another day, I assure you," Peko told her.

Natsuko was clearly disappointing, but she followed her mother home nevertheless. 

The heart of despair stood in the city. There was a large building that stood tall among the fallen concrete and brick. This was the so-called "headquarters" of Super High School Level Despair, where Peko and all the other members stayed to live together. Her children lived there with her too, being raised up in the depths of despair. 

Peko entered the building. In the main room, there were numerous couches scattered about in random places, as well as large blank tv screen hanging on the wall. Since the broadcasting of the School Life of Mutual Killing had ended, it had been blank. Yet, some members were still lounging around it, having nothing else to do. They were bored to the point of despair.

She ignored the others and led her daughter up a flight of stairs. The second floor's main room greatly resembled the first floor, except there was a large table in the center for food and a trashcan that was overflowing. It was clear no one had bothered to take it out in weeks. More people were hanging around there, chatting to each other, laughing as they schemed up plots. These were the more active members of Despair, for the most part, who had not been shaken by their leader's death and instead vowed to continue the despair she had created. Peko herself was a member of this group. 

Peko did not join them for now. Instead, she walked over to a nearby door and opened it, stepping inside. It was a rather large room that contained a huge bed, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, a crib for the baby, and other things you would typically find in a room of that size. There was even a private bathroom.

On the bed sat a young man who grinned when he noticed Peko had walked in. He wore a black suit and had blonde hair that had become rather messy, as of recently. Though he too was in the depths of despair, he could smile when he was around Peko. In his lap was another little girl, but this one was very pale like her mother, and shared her colorless hair as well as her blood red eyes.

"Peko," he greeted her warmly. "You're back."

"Fuyuhiko," she greeted back.

Natsuko bounded up to the young man called Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, a former yakuza and a member of despair. "Daddy!" she cried. She flung herself on the bed and sat next to him, smiling.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu was different in that he was much better at showing his emotions. Peko had struggled to bond with her children and show them her affection, but Kuzuryuu was quite the opposite. Even at the young age of seventeen, he had instantly adored his children and took it upon himself to do most of the basic chores for the baby, aside from feeding her and bathing her, which were the only things Peko would do.

The problem with Peko was that she just didn't know how to raise a child. It wasn't that she hated her children or didn't want them, she just didn't understand how she was supposed to show her affection for them. Teaching them kendo like she had been taught was her way of bonding with them, so Kuzuryuu did absolutely nothing to stop the brutal things that they were learning. After all, he too was in despair despite his love for Peko and their children. Sometimes, even he himself would teach take his gun and teach his children how to shoot someone.

Kuzuryuu smiled affectionately at his oldest daughter. "Natsuko," he addressed her. "How was your day?"

"Good. We didn't get to kill much though," Natsuko explained, sounding a little disappointing. "But next time, Mommy promised me she would let me kill someone myself!"

Kuzuryuu reached a hand out to pat her on the head, much more affectionately than Peko had done before. "That's very exciting." He turned his head towards the little albino girl in his lap, who was cuddled against her father's chest. "I was just telling your sister here about my old family, but she's getting a little tired." He hugged his sleepy daughter to him tightly.

At the sight of her sister sleeping, Natsuko let out a large yawn. "I'm a little tired too. Maybe I can take her for a nap," she suggested.

Kuzuryuu nodded. "Yes, that would be a good idea. There's something I would like to discuss with your mother." He nudged the sleeping girl awake, who stirred gently and looked up at her father with tired red eyes. "Hello. Your sister is going to take you to your room," he explained.

The girl slid off of her father's lap and nodded. Natsuko grasped the smaller girl's hand and grinned. Her younger sister was much quieter than Natsuko was, and Kuzuryuu suspected that she would take after Peko in much more than just her appearance.

"Just be careful, don't wake any of your other siblings," Kuzuryuu reminded them.

"We won't!" Natsuko cried. She then dragged her sleepy, quiet sister off down the hall towards the bedroom that Kuzuryuu and Peko's children stayed in.

Peko unstrapped the baby from her front and gently placed her down into the crib. Then, she went to join her lover.

"Seems like things are going well with the children, Peko," spoke Kuzuryuu, smiling lovingly at the swordswoman. "I'm proud of you, Peko. You're such a good mother."

Peko nodded. "I suppose," she replied, not really believing his words.

The first time Peko had become pregnant was when she was seventeen. When she had first discovered her pregnancy, she became incredibly scared. How was she to deal with a child? What if she couldn't be a mother? Not knowing what to do, Peko had tried her best to hide her pregnancy from Kuzuryuu, but his careful eyes noticed. 

Peko tried to act indifferent towards her pregnancy and often ignored it. She would go out into the streets and massacre hundreds while heavily pregnant, as though she weren't at all. Kuzuryuu often urged her to be more careful, as he was concerned about the safety of her and the baby, but Peko told him there was nothing for him to be worried about. In truth, Peko herself was terrified. She was ignoring her pregnancy on purpose because she was so scared that she could not be a mother to a child, as she had no proper upbringing in the first place. How was someone like her going to raise a child? She ignored it until it was time for her to give birth, when she snapped and told Kuzuryuu through her tears how terrified she was of not being able to raise her child. He sat by her and soothed her with reassuring words, calming her down a little. He then helped her give birth to their daughter.

At first, Peko was confused and worried. She had no idea how a mother was supposed to be towards her baby. The only thing her parents had ever done to her was leave her to die on the street. Perhaps that was what she was supposed to do, then. It would be better than leaving the baby to grow up in the arms of someone like her, a woman who had been raised to kill and nothing more.

So she had left her baby on the very same street she had been found on, but when Kuzuryuu found out, he had been horrified. He understood why Peko had done what she had done, and listened to her feelings.

"I understand how you feel, Peko. I know it's not easy for you..." Kuzuryuu had told her. "But I'm going to help you learn, Peko. I'll do almost all of the chores and all that, all you have to do is spend some time with her." Kuzuryuu had looked directly into his eyes, desperation in them. Suddenly, Peko understood how he had been feeling about the baby she refused to talk about all this time. "I... I really want to be a father..." he admitted.

He then darted out onto the streets and retrieved the sobbing baby from the desolate alleyway, who had luckily still been there. He went home and held her for hours, cradling her and allowing Peko to watch him care for their baby. She had been in awe of how much her lover wanted to father her and care for her, and on the inside, she desperately wished that she could do the same.

Peko's eyes darted to their newest baby, fast asleep in the crib. She was so small and innocent and didn't know how incredibly fucked up the world was. It was kind of frightening, actually. Peko suddenly felt the urge to hold her baby, so she got up and scooped her up into her arms, cradling her against her chest. She then sat down next to Kuzuruyuu with the sleepy baby.

Peko gently reached out to feel the small strands of blonde hair covering her daughter's head, and then moved her hand to feel her baby's smooth cheeks. Her hair and skin were so soft. Soft, like the animals she had always desired to touch that had run away from her. But this soft thing wasn't scared of her, despite the hundreds of people she had brutally murdered without mercy. Her baby would laugh when she caught site of her mother and cry when she wasn't in her arms. She adored her mother unconditionally, and it scared Peko to death.

Kuzuryuu smiled and stroked the baby's hair as well. "She's very soft," he noted. "Just like all our other babies."

Yes, the babies before had all been rather different in personality, but they were all very soft. Natsuko had been soft and innocent once, too, but Peko's teachings had corrupted even a young girl like her. There was a part of Peko, deep down inside her, that hated what she had done to her daughter. But she had no other idea of what to do, and she no longer had a care in the world since she had helped destroy it, so she continued on with her teachings.

"Speaking of which..." Kuzuryuu's eyes trailed down to Peko's stomach. He reached a hand out to press his hand against it, feeling around curiously. Peko's eyes narrowed as she focused on her lover, a rather dark look in them. "Are you pregnant again?" He looked up and shivered a little when he saw the darkness in her blood red eyes. 

"Perhaps. I have been getting morning sickness recently," she muttered, holding her child close and looking away. "But it doesn't matter."

Kuzuryuu frowns. "Of course it matters!" he protested. "You're pregnant again, aren't you, Peko?"

Peko gritted her teeth. "I said it doesn't matter," she told him sternly. She had known about a week ago that she had once again become pregnant, but had chosen to ignore it, just as she always had many times before. Pregnancy scared her, but not for the reasons one would expect. It wasn't that she was scared of giving birth or having to go through awful symptoms, she was terrified of the fact that she could create such an innocent, soft being with her lover, when they were both deep in the pits of despair. How could such a thing come from the same body that had murdered hundreds?

The gangster shook his head and began to observe her stomach a little more, pressing his hand against it as if it were at all possible to feel the tiny life that was growing within her. He had done this so many times before, but each time, he was equally as entranced.

Kuzuryuu pressed his lips to her stomach and kissed it softly. The skin his lips touched tingled for a bit after he removed his lips.

"It's going to be just fine, Peko. It's always been fine," Kuzuryuu reassured her. He wrapped an arm around her back to support her, just as he always did. 

Peko nodded at him and clutched her baby tighter. Her baby was a few months old and was already going to be a big sister. Not as though Peko expected anything else, though.

She suddenly stood up and placed the baby back in her crib. "I'm going to head out for a bit," she informed him. 

He blinked. "But didn't you just go out?" he asked.

"Yes, but I'm going out again. Maybe I'll kill some people," she spoke.

No matter how many times she did it, Kuzuryuu's reaction was alrways the same "You're pregnant, Peko!" he protested loudly. "It's not worth the risk! I'll go out and fucking shoot those bastards if you want me too. Besides, I haven't done it in a while.

Peko shot Kuzuryuu a harsh look that pierced daggers into his heart and instantly silenced his protests. She didn't care if she was pregnant, she would still go out and do whatever the hell she wanted to. With that, Peko briskly walked out the door, leaving her lover behind to deal with their children. 

However, when she exited the room, she found that several pairs of eyes were watching her from the couches. She stopped and stared at them back. "Do you have a problem?" she questioned.

"You're pregnant again?" asked a former Princess named Sonia, who had likely heard Kuzuryuu's shouts. She didn't sound the least bit surprised, just curious.

"I suppose I am," answered Peko nonchalantly. 

The man who was sitting incredibly close to Sonia with one arm wrapped around her shoulder didn't look surprised, either. "This comes as no shock to me," the man, Gundam Tanaka, spoke. "Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu are often mating. I can hear them from my room!"

Peko was not at all embarrassed by his words, and said nothing.

"It's impressive," Gundam added on. "They have bore more young than Sonia and I! Our mating has only resulted in her baring three children. On the other hand, Kuzuryuu and Pekoyama breed as if they are rabbits!"

"That's because you probably use protection," grumbled the voice of a rather irritated looking young man. "Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu are fucking careless. It's disgusting."

Peko raised her eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"I mean, you're pregnant again? How many babies have you had? A hundred?" snapped the man. "No, it's gotta be more. It's like Tanaka said, you two are worse than fucking animals! I'd be more surprised if you weren't fucking knocked up!"

Gundam looked at the man. "Yamamoto, I believe that your words are unnecessary," he informed him. "I advise you cease your insults before something worse happens."

"What's she gonna do about it?" the man named Yamamoto snapped. "She may be a swordswoman, but she's also a fucking whore who can't seem to learn how to use fucking protection!" He then wore a condescending smirk plastered across his face. "Look at her. She's a fucking baby making machine or something. Do you even know what a condom is?" he challenged her.

This was very much like him. Yamamoto was a man who enjoyed poking fun of others. He had once had very low self esteem and allowed himself to be stepped on by others, but Junko had twisted him and convinced him that he should be doing the same to people who tried. These days, he didn't tend to do much but lounge about and drink a lot. Not too many people got along with him, and even Hiyoko Saionji despised the man.

Peko said nothing and simply stared him down with her harsh red eyes, but it appeared to not bother the arrogant Yamamoto.

He laughed mockingly at her. "Man, what a fucking slut!" he yelled. "Peko Pekoyama, the Super High School Level Whore. Sounds about right." He leaned back on the couch, looking satisfied with himself. Sonia and Gundam, on the other hand, were exchanging glances. Others on the couches had gone quiet, their eyes staring at Peko, waiting for some kind of explosive reaction to his words.

But it didn't come from her. Suddenly, the door behind her burst open, revealing an incredibly pissed off Kuzuryuu. His eyes were fuming with fiery rage, and his hands were balled into fists so tightly his hands were turning pale white. "What did you fucking say, Yamamoto?" challenged Kuzuryuu, his voice echoing across the floor.

Yamamoto seemed unfazed. In fact, this was the kind of reaction he liked to get out of people. "I said that your girlfriend's a fucking whore," he repeating, looking smug. "And so are you, since you can't seem to learn about birth control either. Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko, the Super High School Level Man-Whore." he laughed. "But hey, looks like you two are perfect for each other, then!"

Kuzuryuu stepped forward towards the couch with pure fury burning within him. "It's none of your fucking business how many kids we have!" snapped Kuzuryuu. "Saying such things about my Peko is fucking unnaceptable! I'm gonna fucking kill you for it!"

Yamamoto just laughed. "I would like to see you fucking try!" 

Peko did nothing to stop what was about to happen. Kuzuryuu suddenly grasped Yamamoto by the throat out of pure rage, burying his sharp fingernails into the man's neck. He choked out, a genuinely surprised look on his face. He honestly hadn't expected Kuzuryuu to really try. Yamamoto struggled and coughed, squirming about in the gangster's tight grasp. His nails were practically about to rip his throat right open.

However, Kuzuryuu let him go, but as soon as he did, he grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and threw him to the ground as hard as he possibly could. Kuzuryuu jumped to stand on top of him as Yamamoto tried to pull himself back up. He them proceeded to stomp on him repeatedly with all his strength as he gasped and coughed out. 

Kuzuryuu placed a foot on Yamamoto's head and smashed his face into the ground. He then proceeded to hold his head down there, laughing madly at the man's pain.

"Peko, get me some rope!" Kuzuryuu yelled to his lover as he struggled to keep the much larger man down. Peko didn't question what he wanted it for, she simply nodded and wandered down to the supply closet. The supply closet was stuffed full of weaponry and tools that the members of despair would use for brutally mutilating innocent citizens. Among these tools was a large spool of durable rope, which she promptly took along with a pair of scissors.

She was in no hurry to get back. Kuzuryuu could easily hold that man down, even if he wasn't as strong as she was. He looked over his shoulder and nodded when he saw that she had gotten what he had asked for. "Thanks, Peko! Now help me tie this goddamn bastard up!" he shouted to her.

As Kuzuryuu stood on top of Yamamoto and subdued his movements, Peko began to wrestle with his arms with the rope. Since she was very strong, it was relatively easy for her to bind his hands together by the wrists. Then, she moved down. Kuzuryuu too moved so that he could hold down the man's legs, preventing him from kicking. Yamamoto was screaming in rage, calling out for the others to help them, but the others didn't want to get involved. Sonia and Gundam started chatting to each other calmly, as if they weren't sitting right in front of a scene of assault.

Peko quickly tied his ankles together as tight as she could and cut the rope. Kuzuryuu got off the screaming man, who was now rolling about helpless on the floor, shouting strings of curse words.

"FUCK YOU! LET ME GO, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" he shouted out.

Peko ignored him and looked towards her lover. "What did you have me do that for?" she asked Kuzuryuu calmly.

"Well, you were talking before about how you were going to let Natsuko kill someone..." Kuzuryuu explained with a malicious grin on his face.

Then, the gangster walked down to a room a little ways over, and knocked on it. The door opened, revealing Natsuko, smiling brightly up at her father.

"Daddy!" she cried.

Kuzuryuu smiled and gently pat her head. "Natsuko, get your sword. I've got something for you," he told her.

A grin full of excitement broke out across Natsuko's face, and she nodded quickly. Then, she disappeared into the room, soon coming back with the bag she had been wearing previously slung over her shoulders. Kuzuryuu led the eager little girl over to the couches, where Yamamoto was still tied up, his screaming never ceasing.

"How much can one guy yell?" commented Kuzuryuu, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, that doesn't matter. He's all yours, Natsuko."

Natsuko's sweet grin quickly turned malicious as she stared down at the helpless man before her. Her green eyes glinted with a murderous intent that no one her age should have ever had. Excitedly, she drew her very real sword from the bag with skill and pointed it at the man.

Yamamoto looked horrified. "You're gonna kill me with a fucking kid?" he shouted, trying to sound like he wasn't at all afraid of such a young girl. But when he saw the glimmer of blood lust in her eye, he instantly froze up, fear creeping through his body and causing it to shake uncontrollably. 

He let out a squeak as the girl moved forward, gazing at him as a tiger would its prey. From the side, Peko and Kuzuryuu watched their little girl closely, sure that she was not going to mess up, but being there for her just in case.

With a quick slash, Natsuko brought her sword down on the man who promptly screamed out in pain. However, his wound was not fatal, so she kept going. Slash after slash, scream after scream, Natsuko attacked the man with her blade, grinning wildly as she watched him writhe about in pain, helpless to do anything but beg for death. Blood splattered on her clothing and face and leaked onto the floor in a large, crimson puddle. She had not made any wounds that would cause for a quick death, but rather, several cuts that were slowly bleeding out with searing pain. 

She hadn't just killed him. She had tortured him.

Natsuko laughed loudly as she watched the horrified expression on Yamamoto's face fade into nothingness as his life slowly and painfully slipped away. But her laugh was unlike the laugh of any normal child. Hers was twisted, full of deepest malice and a hunger for blood. From the sidelines, Peko listened to her young daughter. Perhaps deep inside of her, there was a part of her that was terrified at the monster she had created, but that part was burred far too deep now.

She slowly approached her daughter and nodded at her. "Good job, Natsuko," she spoke. Her hand once again reached down for her head and began to rub her now blood-stained locks of blonde hair with as much affection as she was able to show. 

"Did I do well?" Natsuko asked her.

"Of course. You were wonderful," she told her.

Natsuko beamed with pride of her first kill of what was sure to be many. Peko gazed at her child, wondering how many more would be killed by this young girl's hand. Hundreds... No... maybe thousands. She looked into her daughter's eyes and saw a reflection of herself at a young age, trained to kill... destined only for that and nothing more.

Perhaps the babies she had birthed were not gentle and innocent as she had thought. Perhaps those children were born to be demons.

Just like her.


	25. Prompt: Duckling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an idea so I wrote a quick thing.
> 
> Non-Despair AU?

Kuzuryuu wasn't sure what exactly urged him to buy a duck egg, but it probably had to do with the pond he and Peko had come across that day. They had been visiting a botanical garden, when they had come across a large, beautiful pond. Peko had been immediately drawn to it. The two of them decided to check it out together, and wandered closer to look in. Kuzuryuu remembered how her eyes had instantly found and locked upon a mother duck swimming about the pond, her tiny yellow ducklings following right behind.

Peko had stared, entranced by the tiny little ducklings so eager to follow their mother. He had watched as her eyes followed the line of happy ducklings down around the pond, as if she was locked onto them.

"...Peko?" Kuzuryuu spoke, looking puzzled.

For a bit, Peko did not reply. It took another call of her name for her to answer. "...Fluffy..."

Kuzuryuu blinked. "What?"

"The ducklings..." She pointed to them. "They're so fluffy..."

At that moment, Kuzuryuu had realized. Peko had always been entranced by fluffy animals, and had tried to raise them quite a few times. However, every time she approached an animal, they would instantly cower away or attack her, scared that she was some predator. Peko couldn't help it. She was a girl trained from birth to be a master swordswoman with a fierce demeanor, and animals were naturally scared of it. But these ducklings... they were so attached to their mother.

He had heard something about how ducklings imprinted on the first person they saw. So maybe, just maybe...

It was a dumb idea, but he found himself looking up online about how he could purchase one, so that she could hatch it. He discovered a website that sold them, along with the necessary incubators. It would cost him quite a bit... but... He thought of the look on Peko's face when she had seen those ducks. She was so entranced. How could see look if she could have her very own fluffy duckling...?

The expensive suddenly didn't matter. He ran down to the nearest pet store and with his own credit card, he purchased and a duckling egg and incubator.

When he got home after some difficulty, he had quickly moved the boxed egg and incubator's box to Peko's room, where she had been resting.

She looked rather confused. "Young Master?" she addressed. "What are those...?"

Kuzuryuu grinned madly at the perplexed girl. "Come over here and see!"

Peko stood up and walked over to him. Her eyes grew wide once she observed what he had brought.

"Young Master...? What..."

"Come on, let's set it up so we can keep this little guy warm..." He spoke, grinning at her.

Kuzuryuu assisted Peko in setting up the incubator on a desk in her room using an instruction manual that had come with it. It had been rather confusing and difficult, but eventually, they managed. Then, he placed the duck egg on it, smiling.

"Okay, the instructions on how to hatch it are here..." he explained to her, pointing to the manual with a grin. "It'll take about a month... but we can wait, can't we?"

Peko, on the other hand, was still just stunned by her Young Master's generosity. "Why...?" she asked him again, a look of confusion on her face.

"Because, Peko... I know how much you've wanted animals, and... Goddamn it..." Kuzuryuu looked away and tugged at his tie, feeling a little flustered as he recalled his reasons. "I thought it would make you happy, and um... I want to see you happy, Peko..."

Peko looked incredibly stunned by his words. She stared at him for a while, before her face melted into a warm smile, a rare sight to see. Peko almost never smiled. "Thank you, Young Master," she whispered to him, warmth in her voice. 

Upon seeing her radiant smile, Kuzuryuu's face instantly turned red. "Y-You're welcome..." he muttered out.

Peko took good care of her egg. She was often checking up on it, making sure that everything was perfect so that the duck would hatch properly. Often times, Kuzuryuu found Peko staring at the duck egg.

"It isn't going to hatch yet, you know," he reminded her.

"I know that," Peko would say. "I'm just making sure it is feeling okay...."

It took about a little less than a month before it hatched. Through the hatching, Peko had sat there and stared for hours, watching as the tiny duck tried to break through the shell. She refused to move, her eyes focused on the little egg. 

Kuzuryuu had returned to her room when it was just in its final stage of hatching. He had sat next to her, watching as the tiny life emerged. He wasn't even thinking, but he found his hand drifting towards hers. He gripped onto her, lacing his fingers in between her own and holding her tightly. Her hand was incredibly warm.

Together, they watched as the duckling finally emerged.

"...It's so small..." Peko observed.

Kuzuryuu grinned at her. "Yeah, and it's going to get bigger and much fluffier for you," he reminded her. 

He helped her set up the necessary habitat for the duckling. He had pulled out an old box from his room and placed a blanket within it for the little duckling. In addition, he had bought a very shallow water dish for the baby and a bag full of baby duck food.

Peko took great care of the baby, hatching it constantly and making sure it had enough food and water. Sometimes, Kuzuryuu would catch Peko just sitting there, staring at the tiny duckling.

Slowly, the duckling grew, and as it did, it began to imprint on Peko. Soon enough, the fluffy baby duckling was waddling about, following Peko everywhere she went. Peko would carry the duckling around with her, so that it would not be upset when it thought its "mother" had left it alone.

Peko sat in her room, stroking the chick's fluffy fur. Kuzuryuu sat beside her, smiling at the happy swordswoman.

"So soft..." she whispered, a warm smile on her face. "I've never felt something so soft like this..."

Kuzuryuu grinned. "Yeah, I'm glad...."

Peko turned towards the boy, redirecting her smile right at him. "I'm so happy, Young Master. Thank you for buying me this baby duck... I have enjoyed being the owner of such a small creature..." The baby duck was sitting nicely within her hands, staring up at the girl it thought was its mother. 

"You're welcome, Peko..." he replied, watching. She placed the duckling upon her lap, who promptly waddled up and huddled against her, slowly falling asleep against Peko's warmth. Peko looked fondly down at the bird and gently stroked it a few times before leaving it to rest.

Kuzuryuu couldn't help but grin at Peko's joy. Inside, his heart was pounding up against his chest, warmed by the site of her.

Peko's happiness was all that he needed to be happy himself.


End file.
